2018
BEACH VOLLEYBALL
BEACH VOLLEYBALL PREVIEW 2018
E
ntering his second season at the
the No. 3 Court in 2017. Fellow sophomores
reins of the Spring Hill College (SHC)
Taylor Hurst of Gulf Shores, Ala., Payton Gid-
beach volleyball team, head coach
ney from Grapevine, Texas and Patty Blood of
Shawn Taylor sees this year’s squad
Cincinnati, Ohio are all three ready to move
as ready to take the next steps in the young
up from the No. 5 and Exhibition Courts in the
program’s advancement. “We experienced a
new season.
large amount of turnover during the first two
years in the program,” he said. “And we grad-
SHC indoor court team in junior Emily Greim
uated a group of talented seniors in 2017,
of McKinney, Texas, sophomore Emmarose
but we have had several players preparing
Neibert from Arnold, Mo., along with red shirt
last season who I feel are ready to step up. It
freshmen Landen Lake of Tuscaloosa, Ala.,
also makes it easier when the majority of the
Angele McClain of New Orleans, La., and
Newcomers include transfers from the
team understands the expectations of what
Emily Sullivan from Chicago, Ill.
it means to be a part of our program and the
level of focus, effort, and energy that we need
Covington, La., Mary Keller of Kansas City,
to bring to practice daily. We’ve been able
Mo., Ryann Horkavy from Chicago, and Paige
to hit the ground running this year because
Pappas of Chicago each look to make an
we are not spending as much time on the
immediate impact on the SHC program.
introductory phases of the game.”
Beach Volleyball is making. “Our volleyball IQ
Taylor stresses that there is always room
Incoming freshmen Allison Weimer of
Taylor is impressed with the strides SHC
for improvement and the Badgers are work-
and ball control have increased dramatically
ing hard to achieve their goals. “At this point,
since the inception of the program four sea-
we are just working on getting better at every
sons ago,” he said. “It’s something we have
practice,” he said. “We are only a few weeks
placed a lot of emphasis on. We know that
into training and we were frozen out for some
we are not going to ‘out height’ and out hit
of those days, so it has limited our time to see
every team, but we do feel that we can take
how different players pair up and perform
advantage of the things we can control that
together.”
will allow us to increase the odds of winning
rallies and ultimately the match. The team
The experience of the Badger program
begins with seniors Julie Vujnovich of Belle
likely gets tired of me harping on it, but if we
Chasse, La., and Catherine Milwee from St.
serve, pass, and locate good sets then we can
Luke’s Episcopal School in Mobile. Vujnovich
do some very positive things.
played 31 matches on the No. 1 Court as a ju-
nior while Milwee appeared in 19 matches on
Badgers. “In a few weeks of practice we have
the No. 5 Court. Juniors Caroline Herrera of
done and seen a lot of positive things,” he
Austin, Texas, and Katie Beth Gammon from
says. “I think we have already established
Plano, Texas, added to depth of the Badger
ourselves as one of the premier small college
veteran corps. Herrera built a 14-12 person-
programs in the country. If we continue to im-
al mark on the No. 4 Court last season and
prove on a daily basis, I feel that we can be a
Gammon has a three-year tenure in the sand.
serious contender at the American Volleyball
Coaches Association (AVCA) Small College
Sophomores Brittany Bilotti of Miami,
”Overall, Taylor is confident in his 2018
Fla., and Sarah Senft from Spring Grove, Pa.,
Championship to be held in the first weekend
amassed a 15-15 record together mainly on
in April.”
GENERAL FACTS
COACHING STAFF Shawn Taylor - Head Coach - 2nd season Shawn Taylor was promoted to the head beach volleyball coach in January 2017 after coming to SHC as the assistant volleyball coach in 2015 following three seasons with the University of South Alabama (USA) Jaguars under head coach Amy Hendrichovsky where he helped develop three all-conference student-athletes including the 2013 Sun Belt Conference (SBC) Freshman of the Year Mechell Daniel. During the 2017 season, he directed the Badgers to their first winning season in the three seasons of its existence with a 17-16 record. Before his tenure at USA, Taylor spent two seasons as the top assistant at Arkansas State University (ASU) under head coach Justin Ingram. In his two seasons in Jonesboro, the Red Wolves posted an overall record of 38-22 and a 23-9 mark in the league. The Red Wolves finished 2010 as co-champions of the SBC West Division with an 11-5 conference record and won an outright division title in 2011 with 21 overall wins and a 12-4 conference mark. While at ASU, Taylor coached four all-conference players in Cayla Fielder (2011 and 2010), Allison Kearney (2011), Ashley Tipps (2011) and Megan Baska (2010), who also won recognition as the 2010 SBC Defensive Player of the Year. Taylor earned his master’s degree in college student personnel from KSU in 2006 and his bachelor’s degree in liberal studies from Graceland in 2004 where he played for the Yellowjackets from 1999-2002.
Dr. Peggy Martin - Director of Volleyball Operations Mobile Sports Hall of Fame member Dr. Peggy Martin is in her second season as the Director of Volleyball Operations at SHC after spending the first two seasons as the head coach of beach volleyball. She completed her ninth season as the court volleyball head coach this past fall. In 2011, 2012 and 2013, she directed SHC the court team to three consecutive NAIA National Tournament appearances for the first time in program history. The Badgers also won their second consecutive Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) regular season championship in 2013 with a perfect 14-0 mark and were the SSAC Tournament Champions for the first time in school history. In her 42 seasons as a collegiate head coach, Martin holds a career record of 1,309-341-8 (.792) including a 24560 (.803) record with the Badgers. Martin holds the most wins in the history of NCAA Division II after 33 consecutive winning seasons at the University of Central Missouri where she compiled a 1,064-281-8 record. At the end of the 2008 season she retired as the Jennies’ coach and returned to her hometown of Mobile, but the opportunity to coach at SHC was too tempting to pass up.
Institution: Spring Hill College City/State/Zip: Mobile, AL 36608 Founded: 1830 Enrollment: 1,500 Nickname: Badgers School Colors: Purple, white Home Facility: Jim & Betty Walsh Beach Volleyball Facility Capacity: 300 Affiliation: NCAA Division II Conference: Independent President: Christopher Puto, PhD ‘64 Athletic Director: Jim Hall Alma Mater: Grinnell College (1995) Compliance: Chad LeBlanc Assistant Athletic Director: Craig Kennedy Faculty Athletic Representative: Steve Almquist, Ph.D. Senior Woman Administrator: Allison Whitworth Athletic Department Phone: 251-380-3485 Athletic Department Fax: 251-460-2196 Sports Information Director: Jim Stennett Alma Mater: Mississippi State (1990) SID Phone: (251) 380-4468 SID Email: jstennett@shc.edu Athletic Web Site: www.shcbadgers.com Facebook: SHCBADGERS Twitter: SHCBADGERS Instagram: SHCBADGERS
COACHING STAFF
Head Coach: Shawn Taylor (2nd season) Alma Mater: Graceland (2004) Record at Spring Hill: 17-16 Overall Record: 17-16 Director of Volleyball Operations: Peggy Martin Alma Mater: Indiana University (1972) Office Phone: (251) 380-3485 Head Athletic Trainer: Dani Ellis, ATC Assistant Athletic Trainers: Abigail Hunt, ATC; Sami Ellis, ATC Athletic Trainers’ Phone: 251-380-3493
TEAM INFORMATION
Overall Record Last Year: 17-16 Last Postseason: n/a Last Postseason Opponent: n/a Last Postseason Result: n/a 2017 Final NCAA Ranking: n/a Players Returning/Lost/New: 13/7/6 First season: 2015 Overall Program Record: 30-42 (3 seasons)
www.shcbadgers.com
2018 ROSTER No. Player
Class
Ht.
Exp.
Hometown/Previous School(s)
1 2 3 4 5 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 20 21 22 23 24 25
Jr. Sr. Fr. Sr. So. R-Fr. Fr. So. Fr. So. Jr. R-Fr. So. So. Jr. R-Fr. Fr. So.
5-9 5-9 5-10 5-6 5-6 5-10 6-0 5-7 5-11 5-11 5-8 5-0 5-11 5-9 5-9 5-9 5-11 5-10
2L 2L HS 2L 1L RS HS SQ HS 1L 1L RS 1L 1L 2L RS HS 1L
McKinney, Texas / McKinney North HS Belle Chasse, La. / Belle Chasse HS Covington, La. / St. Scholastica Academy Mobile, Ala. / St. Luke’s Episcopal HS Miami, Fla. / Our Lady of Lourdes Academy New Orleans, La. / Isidore Newman School Kansas City, Mo. / St. Teresa’s Academy Arnold, Mo. / Fox Senior HS Chicago, Ill. / Marist HS Gulf Shores, Ala. / Gulf Shores HS Plano, Texas / John Paul II HS Tuscaloosa, Ala. / Northridge HS Cincinnati, Ohio / Sycamore HS Grapevine, Texas / Grapevine HS Austin, Texas / St. Stephen’s Episcopal Chicago, Ill. / Marist HS Chicago, Ill. / Mother McAuley Liberal Arts HS Spring Grove, Pa. / Delone Catholic HS
Emily Greim Julie Vujnovich Allison Weimer Catherine Milwee Brittany Bilotti Angele McClain Mary Keller Emmarose Neibert Ryann Horkavy Taylor Hurst Katie Beth Gammon Landen Lake Patty Blood Payton Gidney Caroline Herrera Emily Sullivan Paige Pappas Sarah Senft
2018 ROSTER
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9
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20
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Emily Greim Junior
Mary Keller Freshman
Patty Blood Sophomore
Julie Vujnovich Senior
Emmarose Neibert Sophomore
Payton Gidney Sophomore
Allison Weimer Freshman
Ryan Horkavy Freshman
Caroline Herrera Junior
Catherine Milwee Senior
Taylor Hurst Sophomore
Emily Sullivan R-Freshman
Brittany Bilotti Sophomore
Katie Beth Gammon Junior
Paige Pappas Freshman
www.shcbadgers.com
Angele McClain R-Freshman
Landen Lake R-Freshman
Sarah Senft Sophomore
2017 RESULTS Date
Opponent
Site
Result
University of North Florida Tournament Mar. 4 at University of North Florida vs. University of South Carolina vs. College of Charleston Mar. 5 vs. UNC Wilmington vs. Georgia State University
St. Augustine, Fla. St. Augustine, Fla. St. Augustine, Fla. St. Augustine, Fla. St. Augustine, Fla.
L, 0-5 L, 0-5 L, 0-5 L, 1-4 L, 0-5
Badger Beach Bash Mar. 11 Houston Baptist University Eckerd College Mar. 12 University of Louisiana at Monroe University of New Orleans Tulane University
Gulf Shores, Ala. Gulf Shores, Ala. Gulf Shores, Ala. Gulf Shores, Ala. Gulf Shores, Ala.
W, 3-2 W, 4-1 W, 3-2 W, 3-2 L, 0-5
Tiger Beach Challenge vs. Florida International University Mar. 18 vs. University of North Florida Mar. 19 vs. Florida Gulf Coast University vs. Houston Baptist University
Mango’s Beach Volleyball Club Mango’s Beach Volleyball Club Mango’s Beach Volleyball Club Mango’s Beach Volleyball Club
Mar. 22 Mar. 31
Home Home Home Home Home Home Home
W, 5-0 L, 2-3 L, 2-3 W, 5-0 W, 5-0 W, 5-0 W, 5-0
Fiesta in Siesta Apr. 8 vs. Missouri Baptist University vs. Webber International University vs. Saint Thomas University (Fla.) Apr. 9 vs. Principia College vs. Webber International University
Siesta Key, Fla. Siesta Key, Fla. Siesta Key, Fla. Siesta Key, Fla. Siesta Key, Fla.
W, 4-1 L, 2-3 W, 5-0 W, 4-1 L, 2-3
2017 Battle on the Bayou Apr. 14 vs. Texas A&M University-Kingsville vs. Georgia State University Apr. 15 vs. University of Louisiana at Monroe vs. Texas A&M - Corpus Christi
Mango’s Beach Volleyball Club Mango’s Beach Volleyball Club Mango’s Beach Volleyball Club Mango’s Beach Volleyball Club
Governor Beach Challenge; Nashville, Tenn. at Austin Peay State University Apr. 22 vs. Carson-Newman College Apr. 23 vs. Lincoln Memorial University
Franklin, Tenn. Franklin, Tenn. Nashville, Tenn.
Principia College University of North Florida University of North Florida University of Mobile Huntingdon College Huntingdon College University of Mobile
L, 0-5 L, 1-4 L, 2-3 L, 2-3
W, 5-0 L, 1-4 L, 1-4 W, 4-1 W, 5-0 W, 4-1 W, 3-2
2018 SCHEDULE Date
Opponent
UNO Beach Volleyball Invitational Mar. 2 vs. Jacksonville State University at University of New Orleans vs. University of Alabama at Birmingham Mar. 3 vs. University of Louisiana at Monroe
Covington, La. / Digs Volleyball Complex Covington, La. / Digs Volleyball Complex Covington, La. / Digs Volleyball Complex Covington, La. / Digs Volleyball Complex
Time
12 p.m. 4 p.m. 10 a.m. 3 p.m.
Home Montgomery, Ala. Montgomery, Ala. Home Home Home
TBA 2 p.m. 2 p.m. TBA TBA TBA
Tiger Beach Challenge Mar. 24 vs. Stetson University vs. Tulane University Mar. 25 vs. Florida Atlantic University vs. University of New Orleans
Baton Rouge, La. / Mango’s Beach Volleyball Club Baton Rouge, La. / Mango’s Beach Volleyball Club Baton Rouge, La. / Mango’s Beach Volleyball Club Baton Rouge, La. / Mango’s Beach Volleyball Club
10 a.m. 2 p.m. 10 a.m. 3 p.m.
AVCA Small College Beach Championship Apr. 7 vs. TBA Apr. 8 vs. TBA
Tavares, Fla. Tavares, Fla.
TBA TBA
Ohio Valley Beach Volleyball Challenge Apr. 20 vs. Lincoln Memorial University vs. Carson-Newman University Apr. 21 vs. Jacksonville State University vs. Morehead State University
Clarksville, Tenn. / Govs Beach Volleyball Complex Clarksville, Tenn. / Govs Beach Volleyball Complex Clarksville, Tenn. / Govs Beach Volleyball Complex Clarksville, Tenn. / Govs Beach Volleyball Complex
9:30 a.m. 2:30 p.m. 8 a.m. 11 a.m.
Mar. 4 Mar. 16 Mar. 20 Mar. 22
Austin Peay University at Huntingdon College vs. Lincoln Memorial University College of Charleston Principia College William Carey University
Site
www.shcbadgers.com