8/15/19
(CLEVELAND) – The Truett McConnell University women’s volleyball team is set to begin the 2019 season and will be led by head coach Mark Corbin, who took over the program in the spring. The Lady Bears were preseason ranked No. 8 in the Appalachian Athletic Conference coaches’ preseason poll, which puts them middle of the pack with a conference of now 15 teams. In fact, AAC volleyball will now receive three bids to the NAIA national tournament.
“We were preseason ranked right in the middle and I feel like we have a very good chance of doing well this year after the girls ended on a high point at the AAC tournament last season,” Corbin said. “The girls finished well and they have been ready to start the way they finished this preseason already.”
The team will compete at Spartanburg Methodist College on Saturday, Aug. 17, for one of their two scrimmages this season and will then open up the regular season at the Faulkner Invitational (August 23-24) where they will face Faulkner, University of Mobile, William Carey University and Southeastern University. The Lady Bears’ second scrimmage will be at Oglethorope University on August 27.
“Schedule wise we have a decent number of games before conference play, which I think is going to help us better prepare for the big conference schedule,” Corbin said.
TMU will be a part of the South Division, which includes Allen University, Brenau University, Columbia International University, Columbia College, Point University, No. 25 Reinhardt University and St. Andrews University.
The Lady Bears will be without All-AAC first team and AVCA All-Region honorable mention select, Shayla Smith, who led the team offensively in kills (334), averaging 3.01 kills per game.
“Shayla is a big loss offensively but we have other people who are ready to step up,” Corbin said. “First and foremost, I wanted the team to be unified and work hard and play together this preseason and I think the wins will come. Our main goal this year is to make it back to the AAC tournament and make a run there.”
