Jackson, MS-The Belhaven volleyball team has high hopes for the 2010 season following a solid 2009 season that saw the team make some big strides. The Blazers finished last season with an overall record of 18-20 doubling their 2008 win total. In the always tough Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, the Blazers finished 2009 with a 5-5 league record including an upset win over rival Loyola University. Belhaven will have a load of talent returning for 2010 and will be joined by seven new faces from this year's recruiting class.

“We made terrific strides last season,” said Head Coach Lydia Smith. “The sophomore class started in almost all positions on the court in 2008 and we were able to use that experience to lead our young team on the court this past year. The incoming class was versatile and talented which were key components in the better outcome.”

Belhaven will return a pair of All-Conference players in Christina Jaques and Christina Atwood. Jaques, an outside hitter from Orange, TX, led the team in kills with 381 and total blocks with 92. Jaques averaged 2.74 kills per set during the season and posted a hitting percentage of 20.9. Jaques ranked fourth in the GCAC in kills per set, third in the league in total kills and led the GCAC in total blocks.

Atwood, a sophomore middle blocker from Vancleave, MS, was second on the team in kills and blocks with 299 and 88 respectively. Atwood was tops on the team in hitting percentage at 23.9 percent. Atwood was also fifth in the GCAC in total kills and ranked 10th in the conference in kills per set. In two seasons at Belhaven, Atwood has racked up 574 total kills and 182 total blocks.

The Blazers are also excited about Erin Bradley who will be a sophomore this season. Bradley, a setter who hails from Lubbock, TX, had a great freshman season by tallying 1,200 total assists with an 8.63 assist per set average in 209. Bradley was also tops on the team a year ago with 38 serving aces and had a team high 360 digs. Taylor Williams and Samantha O'Malley made strong contributions to the team in their freshman seasons as well and junior Erinn Hampton will also play a big role on this year's team.

Three of this year's newcomers should make immediate impacts during the 2010 season. Leigh Anne Huddleston, Lise Chapelier, and Gabriella Zorzoli all bring a tremendous amount of talent and experience to this year's team. Huddleston, a native of New Braunfels, TX, played high school volleyball at New Braunfels High School. She is 5'11 and has the ability to play three different positions on the court including outside hitter, middle blocker, and right side. “Huddleston will play mostly outside with us and will contend for a starting position,” says Coach Smith. “She gained a tremendous amount of experience in club this past year and went to Nationals in Reno in July.”

Chapelier, a native of Sengern, France, is another valuable addition to the 2010 Blazers. Chapelier is a 5'8 outside hitter and has 11 years of club volleyball experience. “Chapelier will play mostly outside, although she's had experience in the middle and is very capable of running the offense in the middle,” says Coach Smith. “She has good ball control and plays good defense and I am excited about her potential to be one of this year's top recruits.”

Zorzoli, a native of Germantown, TN, was an outstanding player at Germantown High School as a defensive specialist. Her athletics honors include Best Defensive Player, Best of the Preps, All-District Team, and Most Valuable Player. “Zorzoli will be a threat to our opponents and will be a strong contender for the Libero position this season,” says Coach Smith. Siobhan Hardy, Serita Ingram, Katie Owen, and Madison Crossie will also be valuable additions to this year's team and will provide depth that the team hasn't had over the past couple of seasons.

One of the keys this year will be generating good team chemistry especially with seven of the 14 players on the roster being new. “Team chemistry is going to be huge for us this season,” says Coach Smith. “I think that leadership will also be a key for us this year and I'm looking to our upper classmen to step up and help lead this team. I feel like the team will gel and the teams chemistry will develop quicker when the team captains and upper classmen are helping to lead the younger players on the court. I feel like leadership is probably the biggest key with team chemistry following at a close second.”

The Blazers hope to get out to a quick start like they did a season ago and build some strong momentum as they head into conference play later in the year. Belhaven opens the season on the road in New Orleans at the Xavier University (LA) Tri-Match on August 28th. The Blazers will face Xavier at 3:00 PM and then take on Alabama State University at 5:30 PM. Belhaven will play in four other tournaments including the Millsaps Invitational , Lee University Invitational, and the Blazers will host a pair of tri matches on September 18th and October 16th.

Belhaven will begin play in the Southern States Athletic Conference this season with their first conference match on September 18th versus Faulkner University. The SSAC is shaping up to be one of the toughest conferences in the NAIA. Other familiar conference opponents who were with Belhaven in the GCAC are Loyola University (LA), the University of Mobile, and Spring Hill College.

“I am excited about playing in the SSAC, but it's a very competitive league and we will have come ready to play each time we take the court,” says Coach Smith. “In the West Division there are some familiar opponents that we have faced before so we have an idea about the challenges we'll encounter. Come conference tournament time we could see Lee University and Shorter who are also very strong. I think with the resilience that the players showed this past year with the ups and downs they should be able to handle this coming season and the challenges they will face.”

Belhaven's opening home contest of the season will be against Tougaloo College on September 14th at 7:00 PM. Fans can follow the Blazers all season long at blazers.belhaven.edu.