MIDWAY, Ky. -- Coming off a season that saw them get double-digit victories for the first time since 2010, the Midway University women's volleyball team is looking to continue that upward trajectory as they open the 2019 season on Friday at the Milligan Mountain Madness.
It's the second season in a row that the Eagles have traveled south to Milligan (Tenn.) to open their season. They take on Milligan at 4 p.m. ET and Union (Ky.) at 8 p.m. ET on Friday before battling Keiser (Fla.) at 1 p.m. ET and St. Andrews (N.C.) at 3 p.m. ET on Saturday to wrap up the trip.
Last season, the Eagles finished with a 10-23 mark overall and a 5-11 record in River States Conference play. The 10 wins was the most since 2010 where they finished with 15.
Entering 2019, Jonea Rima's club will look to continue their upward trajectory as they look to make a push towards the top four in the RSC West Division and earn a spot in the RSC Volleyball Tournament.
"We're ready to get the season underway and play against some outside competition," noted Rima. "We have a tight, close knit group that is ready for the challenge. We're still very young, but I am excited about what we have."
Learning on the fly will be key for Rima's club as they don't have a senior on the roster. They do, however, return some familiar faces from last season.
Lynsey Doles (Ripley, Tenn.) is back for her junior season, while sophomores, Ashlee Simpson (Somerset, Ky.), Madi Eberst (Chillicothe, Ohio), Alexis Campbell (Mesa, Ariz.) and Krissy Cummins (Frankfort, Ky.) are all back after playing key roles as freshman.
As a freshman, Simpson stepped into the libero spot last season and is expected to anchor the defense once again in 2019. She finished among the top defenders in the country amassing 726 digs which earned her Second Team All-Conference honors last year.
After splitting time at setter in 2018, Eberst is expected to step into the position full-time as a sophomore. She finished with 394 assists, while adding 196 kills and 296 digs as a freshman. She also chipped in 37 blocks which ranked second on the team.
Cummins and Campbell will also be asked to step-up, while Doles is looking to bounce back after an injury plagued sophomore season.
As far as newcomers, Rima won't have to look far as she has 18 new faces including a pair of junior transfers and 16 freshmen.
Alysha Tullar (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) a junior transfer from Mt. San Antonio (Calif.) will help offensively on the outside, while Bethie Smith (Galt, Calif.) another junior transfer from Cosumnes River College (Calif.) will help in the middle.
Also proving depth in the middle will be Aaliyha Bailey (Eminence, Ky.) and Tori Richman (Fort Wayne, Ind.) who will be getting their first taste of volleyball at the collegiate level.
Brooke Trompler (Campton, Ky.) will step-in right away on the outside as a freshman, while Raegan Stevens (Ashland, Ky.) will add depth on the outside as well.
Rima added, "I really like our team and it will be exciting to see how we grow as the year progresses."
Following the trip to Milligan this weekend, the Eagles will have a couple of days to recover until their home opener on September 5 when they host Boyce (Ky.). The home opener has been moved to Forks of Elkhorn Baptist Church in Midway. The address is '495 Duckers Rd., Midway, KY 40347'.
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