Golden Hurricane Volleyball Begins Preseason Practice
8/9/2022 3:24:00 PM | Volleyball
Tulsa, Okla. – The Tulsa Golden Hurricane volleyball team returned to the courts at the Volleyball Practice Center in Mabee Gymnasium on Tuesday to begin preseason workouts for the upcoming 2022 season.
"I was really happy with the start of practice today," said Head Volleyball Coach Ryan Wills. "It was obvious that they had been doing their work when [coaches] weren't around, and that always makes you feel good as a coach because you know they put the work in and we saw it this morning with our first practice."
"You could tell it was easy for them to be enjoying what we were doing today, and that's a huge indictor of potential success."
After leading the Hurricane to a third straight NIVC tournament appearance in 2021, Wills boasts a 124-108 career record as he heads into his 9th season at the helm.
Tulsa returns four starters from last year's squad, including 2021 first-team American Athletic Conference selection Kayley Cassaday. The senior from Overland Park, Kan. recorded 455 kills and a .244 hit percentage to become Tulsa's most lethal scorer heading into 2022.
Also returning for the Golden Hurricane is sophomore libero Marta Pecalli who led the team with 534 digs last year. She and defensive specialist/libero graduate student Maddie Flora will be looking to fortify Tulsa's defense this season.
The final returning starter is senior outside hitter Aysu Dalogullari. She posted 238 kills and 275 digs a year ago.
Six first-year freshmen were recruited to help replace six letterwinners from last season. The newcomers are outside hitter Lauren Eitler, setter Brayden Hipp, middle blocker Camryn Lingenbrink, middle blocker Arianna Mongare, outside hitter Jolana Smidlova, libero/defensive specialist Ryann Thomas.
"There are a lot of players that have a huge opportunity to make a big jump this year", said Wills. "[Marta Pecalli] was near the top of the league in digs per set last year … she seems much more comfortable, and I think we're going to see a lot of things from her this year that will become a little more natural and easier for her as she's made the adjustment to America."
The 2022 campaign begins on August 26 as Tulsa faces Pepperdine at the Husker Invitational in Lincoln, Neb. The Golden Hurricane begins the home season against conference opponent East Carolina on September 23 at the Donald W. Reynolds Center.
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