Women's Volleyball 8/15/2018 11:23:00 AM Union Sports Information

Union volleyball set for 2018 season

JACKSON, Tenn. - The Union University volleyball program is preparing for the 2018 season. The team has retooled and is searching for a first ever trip to the Gulf South Conference Tournament.

Union head coach Darrin McClure is starting his fourth season as head coach of the Lady Bulldogs. He is joined on the sidelines this year by second year assistant coach, Christa Hutchison and former Union volleyball player CeCe Blanchard serving as a student assistant coach.

Union was selected to finish ninth in the GSC Preseason Coaches' Poll out of 12 teams. Union's best GSC finish was a tie for sixth place in 2015, but missed out on a tournament appearance by losing the tie-breaker. Defending champion West Florida was selected to repeat as champions in 2018. The top six teams will advance to the GSC Tournament in November.

Union opens the season on the road with two weekend trips to Arkansas. First up is the Southern Arkansas University Classic in Magnolia, Ark. and then four matches in Arkadelphia the next weekend. Union then plays four times in Arkadelphia, Ark. Union's first home game is Tuesday, September 4 versus Bethel. Union will then host the Union University Classic September 7-8. Union's first GSC game is at home against Christian Brothers Tuesday, September 11. The GSC Tournament is set for November 8-11.

"Preseason is going really good," Head Coach McClure said. "With our roster size, we get to try many different things in practice. The girls are playing really hard and getting better each day. There are a lot of young pieces and so we have a lot of room to grow and get better."

Union returns three starters from last season and nine players overall. Union is led by two returning seniors, Christa Karns and Rebecca Sexton. Audrey Cagle, Abbie Rahn, and Kristin Goggin return as juniors this year.

"Preseason is going really well! It's exciting to have many new faces, each one adding so much to the team," Karns said. "This season I expect us to work hard to improve on our Gulf South Conference ranking and make it to the tournament. For our team to do that this year, we need to continue to build a strong bond with one another and trust each other on and off the court. Every season comes with obstacles we have to face, but we can get past them when we remember that God put us in this position to help us grow as a team and to also remember what it takes to become better teammates and players every day."

Union has four returning sophomores. Anna Claire Winchester, Kristen Bukowsky, Lisa Hamilton, and Meghan Delaney.

Union adds 10 incoming freshmen to the roster. Grace Roberts (St. Charles, MO.), Courtney Ondrus (Naperville, Ill.), Haley Ramsey (Millington, Tenn.), Claressa Kohler (Niceville, Fla.), Alyssa Tatsch (Helotes, Texas), Delaney Peterson (Huntsville, Ala.), Sarah Adams (Paducah, Ky.), Laurel Alexander (Franklin, Tenn.), Adna Alihodzic (Zagreb, Croatia), Mackenzie Fulk (East Bend, N.C.).