Season Preview An experienced group returns as Charleston Southern
volleyball looks ahead to the 2013 season under the direction of first year Head Coach Christine Mooberry. Led by a quartet of seniors in Kayla Klinger, Laura Grace Swindler, Maggie Murphy and Erin LaVenice, the Buccaneers look to build off of last season’s Big South tournament berth and make it back to the postseason. “Our seniors bring a great amount of leadership, experience, and energy to the court,” said Mooberry on the return of four strong seniors. “Kayla’s experience shows the minute she hits the court, while LG and Maggie both bring a great amount of energy, determination and passion to our defensive game. They embody the idea of relentless pursuit that we want to see on our defense. Erin adds the height we need in the front row and moves very well across the net.” Charleston Southern was selected ninth in the annual Big South Preseason Coaches’ Poll, as announced by the Big South Conference at the end of July and the Bucs look to battle through a tough conference and road slate this season, with the 30 match schedule featuring just nine home contests inside the friendly confines of the Buc Dome. “We are on the road quite a bit but our goals will be the same: to bring our best no matter the circumstances,” said Mooberry on the challenge of playing a majority of the matches on the road. “We should feel confident and experienced with road matches by the time we get to conference tournament and hopefully that will work in our favor. On top of that, road trips are opportunities to make team memories and bond, so we will use those trips as an opportunity to have fun together and continue to build our relationships and team dynamic.”
The Buccaneers roster features four seniors, two juniors, four sophomores and three freshman in the mix this season, with Klinger, junior libero Ashley Higginbothem and sophomore middle blocker Meredith Parrott leading the way on the squad among last season’s top performers returning. Outside Hitters Klinger is joined by a talented group including sophomores Katrina Houston and Siraya Windsor, as well as freshmen Taylor Allman and Nikia Clark as the Bucs look to continue to provide a consistent and powerful attack on the outside. Klinger leads all returning players with 235 kills this past season, hitting .250 from the floor and finished second on the team with 228 digs last year in providing a balanced floor leader for the Buccaneers heading into her senior season. Houston and Windsor saw action in a combined 64 matches last year and earned 32 starts last season as true freshmen, combining for 283 kills, averaging over three kills a set. Houston provides a powerful left-hander to the Buccaneers rotation, while Windsor’s athletic ability allows her to line up all over the court. Allman, a Little River, S.C., native and North Myrtle Beach High School graduate, comes to CSU after being named the 3A South Carolina State Player of the Year after leading the Chiefs to the State Championship. She was a two-time team captain, earning Region VII Player of the Year honors and Toast of the Coast Player of the Year honors and will make an immediate impact in the CSU lineup. Clark brings a 6-1 frame to the court and was a two-time All-State selection and four-time All-Conference selection at Peninsula Catholic in Newport News, Va. She also earned MaxPreps Athlete of the Week seven times during
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