JACKSON - Belhaven Volleyball is set to open up a new era under first year Head Coach Olivia Killelea on Friday as they travel to Memphis to compete in a tournament hosted by Rhodes College. Killelea and the Blazers will look to start the campaign strong and set the foundation for the future of Belhaven Volleyball.

A new season brings opportunities for new beginnings and for the Blazers, a new chance to make their mark as a contender in the Collegiate Conference of the South. Belhaven is coming off a competitive showing in conference play a season ago as they finished sixth in the CCS and just four games off a trio of teams that tied for regular season runner-up. Picked sixth in this year's preseason coach's poll, Belhaven sees a chance to impress and change perceptions.

"With the new season here, we see a chance to lay the groundwork for the success of Belhaven Volleyball", said Head Coach Olivia Killelea. "We know where we've been and where we want to be, and we think that this year we can set the foundation for that growth."

This year's squad is young and features a strong core of returning players with a quintet of newcomers to bolster the group. Emma Gardner represents the lone senior in the squad and is returning for her fourth season with 75 matches and over 200 sets played under her belt.

Along with Gardner the Blazers return sophomore Megan LaCour who led the team with 201 kills in 2023 and looks to continue her growth as an anchor of the attack. The Blazers also return assist leader Aniyah Tompkins from last year's campaign and the Texas native is primed for a strong sophomore campaign after posting 578 assists as a freshman. 

Defensively, Kayla Robinson returns as a Libero after leading the team with 383 digs in 108 sets played as a freshman. Cami Davis is also back for her second season as a Blazer after solidifying herself as a net-front presence in 2023 with a team-high 18 solo blocks and 36 block assists.

"It's no secret that we have a young team at Belhaven with just one senior and four juniors on our roster this year", said Coach Killelea when asked about the group's youth. "Despite that, a lot of our returners saw significant playing time last season which means we have no shortage of experience."

Five first-year players have joined the squad ahead of the season as well, all of whom are coming off their high school careers which continues to solidify a long-term view for the program.

"The process to getting where we want to be from a competitive standpoint means having continuity and buy-in", said Killelea. With this group, we have the ability to focus on the longer view and can compete in an environment where players can see their careers grow, and the program grow, alongside each other."

Belhaven is set to open play at the Rhodes College Tournament on Friday at 6:30 PM against the hosts. They are then slated for a pair of matches on Saturday with an early game against Lyon set for 11:00 AM and an afternoon match against Principia at 3:00 PM.

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