PORTSMOUTH, Ohio (Volleyball) – The Shawnee State University volleyball team will start the year by heading south for the second time in three seasons as the Bears will play Martin Methodist and host school Montreat College in the Volley of the Mountains tournament at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., respectively.
The Bears, who finished 16-17 on the year and 7-7 in the Mid-South Conference (MSC), return one of the best backline players in school history in Madison Smith (SR/Orrville, Ohio), who had another standout season in 2014 by placing second in digs per game in a season (5.92) and recording the third most digs in a season (716) while adding 27 service aces and a .902 serving percentage to the table for SSU. In addition to those accomplishments, the senior was given Academic All-MSC honors at the end of the season.
With one year remaining in her career, Smith is in the career top 10 in total serves (seventh) and is in the top five in total digs (fifth, 1380), total service receptions (fourth, 1246), service reception percentage (third, .931), and digs per game (second, 3.84).
The senior will be paired up with one of the best outside hitters in the entire conference in Lauren Helbig (JR/Mansfield, Ohio), who built on a solid freshman season with an outstanding sophomore year. In addition to recording the third most block assists in a season (79), Helbig racked up 209 kills, 95 total blocks, 21 digs and 15 assists to obtain Second-Team All-MSC honors.
Joining Helbig on the front line will be fellow upperclassmen Ashley Galbraith (SR/Mansfield, Ohio) and Christina Shelton (JR/West Union, Ohio), along with an underclassman in Hayley Carle (SO/Chillicothe, Ohio). Galbrath was limited to three matches last season but had 115 kills in 2013. Shelton recorded 208 kills last season and had 22 total blocks in 2014.
As for Carle, the sophomore had a solid freshman season in 2014 by recording 81 kills, 59 digs, 42 blocks and a .971 serving percentage (the latter placing second in school history for percentage in a season) despite playing in only 91 of the 121 games on the year.
Joining Smith on the back line will be fellow upperclassmen Rhyanna Day (JR/Beaver, Ohio), Brittany Mounts (JR/Beaver, Ohio), and Bonnie Huesing (JR/Mason, Ohio), with each bringing various skills to the table. Day finished second on the team with an impressive 319 digs, led the team with 33 service aces, and recorded a .924 serving percentage over the course of the year. Mounts led the team with 297 assists and recorded 91 digs in 2014. Despite only playing in 67 games in 2014, Huesing finished just behind Mounts with 275 assists, recorded 86 digs, and finished second only to Carle in overall serving percentage (with a .952). All three obtained Academic All-MSC honors at the end of the season.
Martin Methodist brings back a trio of players who were vital to the RedHawks last season in Mariana Campos, Genesis Mejas, and Ashlyn Lam-ho Anudha. Campos, a junior from Sao Paulo, Brazil by way of Laredo Community College, had 833 assists and 174 digs for Martin Methodist last season. Mejas, a senior from Caracas, Venezuela had a .946 serving percentage and 88 blocks last season. Anudha, who hails from Kaneohe, Hawaii and is also a transfer of Laredo Community College, had a .966 serving percentage and 144 digs for the RedHawks.
As for Montreat, the Cavaliers posted a 7-24 record last season under Kristy Kamer, who played and later coached volleyball at SSU from 2006-2010. During her tenure with the Bears, Kamer amassed a record of 137-51 and led the Bears to 38 wins in 2008, 31 wins in 2009 and 35 wins in 2010. In each of those years, SSU was an NAIA Qualifier and along with the national appearance in 2010, won the MSC Championship in their first year in the conference before making the move to Montreat in the following season.
