Quincy spoils first-ever UMR volleyball Homecoming

By John Kean
UMR Sports Information

ROLLA – The first Lady Miner volleyball game on Homecoming was spoiled Saturday, Oct. 20 as Quincy University handed UMR a3-0 loss at the Bullman Multi-Purpose Building.

The Hawks got away from UMR late in the first two games to win by scores of 30-24 and 30-23, then won a highly competitive third game by the score of 33-31.

UMR opened the night by scoring five of the first six points, going up 5-1 on an ace by Jessica Laughary. The Lady Miners continued to hold the lead until Quincy scored three straight points midway through the game to go up 17-16 and never trailed again. UMR was as close as 22-21 after a kill by Lauren Summerville but couldn't get any closer.

The Hawks never trailed in the second game although their lead was never larger than five points until the latter stages of the game. UMR pulled to within one at 18-17 on an ace by Leandra Pelae, but QU scored six of the next nine points to pull away for the seven-point win.

The final game was a nip-and-tuck affair from the start as neither team led by more than three points. UMR had that three-point advantage at 7-4 after a kill by Katie Herington, but the teams traded the lead on ten occasions in game three.

UMR had two game point opportunities, going up 30-29 and again at 31-30 but couldn't get the game-winner as the Hawks scored the final three points to win the match.

Pelae led UMR with 18 kills in the contest, while Summerville finished the night with eight and Samantha Klump with seven. Ashlyn Balensiefer had 42 assists and tied with Bridget Williams for the team-high in digs with 15, while Annie Smith had 10 digs in the contest.

UMR will play its next two games on the road, beginning Friday at Drury in a 7 p.m. match.

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Lady Miner volleyball gains road win

By John Kean
UMR Sports Information

OWENSBORO, Ky. -- The University of Missouri-Rolla volleyball team went the distance Saturday, Sept. 29 -- and were rewarded for it.

After Kentucky Wesleyan pulled out a 30-27 win in game four of their match, the Lady Miners had a sensational fifth game and took a 15-9 victory for their first road win in their inaugural season, a 3-2 decision over the Panthers at Jones Gymnasium.

UMR dropped the opening game of the match by a 30-27 count as well, but won game two 30-25 and the third game 32-30. Kentucky Wesleyan came back to win the fourth game after UMR had a lead, but the Lady Miners took a quick lead in the final game and never surrendered it to pick up their third win of the season.

The Lady Miners had a 27-26 lead in the first game after a kill by Leandra Pelae, but the Panthers scored the final four points to take the lead in the match. UMR took the advantage for good in the second game at 16-15 on a setting error by KWC, then got a kill from Pelae to wrap that game up.

In the third game, UMR made an 8-1 run in the early stages to take a 16-14 lead, only to see the Panthers take the lead back by scoring four straight to go up 23-22. UMR rallied to reclaim the advantage at 30-29 to give it game point, but after missing that chance, got another at 31-30 and won the game on a kill by Samantha Klump.

UMR had the score in its favor for much of game four before the Panthers went in front at 21-20. UMR tied the game up at 22 on a kill by Pelae, but three straight points by the Panthers put them back in the lead and they went on to force a fifth game.

The Lady Miners, however, got kills from Maddie Owak and Pelae and a service ace from Lauren Summerville to open a 4-0 lead to begin the final game, then built the lead to 11-2 on a block by Lynsey Jorgensen. Kentucky Wesleyan was able to hold off game point three times, but setter Ashlyn Balensiefer tapped a ball over the net to get the final point and the victory for UMR.

Pelae finished with a season-high 26 kills and a .392 hitting percentage in the game for the Lady Miners, while Owak recorded 11 kills and Jorgensen nine. Balensiefer had 51 assists in the match while Bridget Williams was one of four Lady Miner with double figures in digs with a team-high 23. Balensiefer had 14 digs while Pelae and Owak had 11 each.

UMR will open a three-game homestand Thursday when it hosts Saint Joseph's in a GLVC match at 7 p.m. at the Bullman Multi-Purpose Building.

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Lady Miner volleyball records first sweep

By John Kean
UMR Sports Information

The University of Missouri-Rolla volleyball team had not sept all three games of a match all season – until Tuesday, Sept. 25 when the Lady Miners routed Missouri Valley at the Gale Bullman Multi-Purpose Building.

UMR won the first two games by identical 30-24 scores, then got off to a fast start in the third game and went on to post a 30-17 victory to wrap up its second victory of the season.

The Lady Miners spent most of the night in the lead, opening up an early 11-5 lead in game one on a block by Samantha Klump. Missouri Valley was able to rally and knotted the game at 17, but starting with a kill by Maddie Owak, UMR scored five of the next six points to take control of the game for good.

Lauren Summerville, who finished the night with five of UMR's 10 service aces, had two during a late run before the Lady Miners wrapped up the win.

After falling behind 5-1 to open game two, UMR scored five straight points to take a 6-5 lead. The game remained tight until UMR scored six out of eight points after it was tied at 14. UMR led 24-19 before the Vikings closed to within two, but a kill by Leandra Pelae and one moments later by Katie Herington allowed UMR to extend its lead.

Pelae finished off the Vikings in game two with one of her team-high 12 kills on the night.

UMR spotted the Vikings the first point of game three, then put together its longest continuous scoring run in any game this season by scoring 11 straight points with Summerville serving. She had three aces during that stretch and Owak had three kills as well to allow UMR to build an early 11-1 lead.

The lead grew to 18-3 on a kill by Pelae before the Vikings tried the make the score respectable. Missouri Valley got to within nine at 24-15, but a Pelae kill sparked a 6-2 game-closing run that ended with a block by Klump and Ashlyn Balensiefer.

UMR had a .333 hitting percentage in the final game and finished the night at .207, while holding the Vikings to a .061 attack mark. Besides Pelae's 12 kills, Owak finished with eight and Klump with six; she also had a hand in four of UMR's seven blocks on the night.

Balensiefer had 32 assists while Bridget Williams led UMR with 19 digs.

UMR will head to the road for a pair of Great Lakes Valley Conference matches this weekend, starting Friday night against Bellarmine in Louisvlle, Ky.

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UMR volleyball loses to No. 12 Pittsburg State

By John Kean
UMR Sports Information

ROLLA – For the third time in 11 days, the University of Missouri-Rolla volleyball team fell victim to a nationally-ranked team as it dropped a 3-0 decision Saturday afternoon, Sept. 15 to 12th-ranked Pittsburg State in the front end of a day-night doubleheader at the Bullman Multi-Purpose Building.

UMR hung in there with the Gorillas for much of the first game, as it was tied at 14 after a service ace and another point on a kill by Ashlyn Balensiefer. UMR was able to tie the game again at 19 on Leandra Pelae's service ace, but the Gorillas rattled off the next five points and were able to finish the game off.

The second game saw UMR hold an early advantage, as Lauren Summerville's kill gave it a 7-5 lead. PSU went up for good at 9-8, but the Lady Miners hung around for a good portion of the middle game as well before the Gorillas put some distance between the teams in the latter stages.

Pitt State then grabbed an early lead in the final game and was able to hold off any rally efforts the Lady Miners made until it scored six straight points to take a 10-point lead.

UMR finished the game with a .186 hitting percentage with gradual improvement in each game. Pelae led the Lady Miners with 15 kills while Summerville ended up with nine. Balensiefer had 34 assists and eight digs in the game while Bridget Williams finished with 15 digs.

The Lady Miners created more attack opportunities than Southern Indiana Friday night at the Bullman Multi-Purpose Building, but the visiting Screaming Eagles were more effective with their attempts and came away with a 3-0 sweep over UMR.

Southern Indiana had just 10 attack errors on the night and finished with a hitting percentage near 30 percent, while the Lady Miners were guilty of 28 errors in the three games, which they lost by scores of 30-25, 30-15 and 30-19.

The teams played a nip-and-tuck first game, with neither team holding a lead of more than four points until late in the game. UMR took a 13-9 lead on a service ace by Lauren Summerville and built two more leads of four points, the last at 18-14 on a kill by Ashlyn Balensiefer.

USI clawed back in the game and took its first lead since the early stages at 25-24 in the midst of a decisive 7-0 run. UMR staved off one game point before the Eagles took the opening game.

The Lady Miners fell behind 6-0 to start game two and never got closer than two points; the Eagles gradually extended their lead throughout game two until it won 30-15. UMR and USI were tied at four early in game three before the Eagles took the lead for good to win the match.

Leandra Pelae led the Lady Miners (1-12, 1-3 GLVC) with nine kills while Katie Herington finished with six. Balensiefer had 27 assists, while Annie Smith and Maddie Owak had nine digs apiece.

The Lady Miners (1-14) will return to action Friday, Sept. 21, when they face No. 15-ranked Southern Illinois Edwardsville in a 7 p.m. game at SIUE.

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Lady Miner volleyball falls

By John Kean
UMR Sports Information

ST. LOUIS -- The University of Missouri-Rolla volleyball team dropped its second straight Great Lakes Valley Conference match Tuesday night, Sept. 11, when Missouri-St. Louis handed the Lady Miners a 3-0 loss.

The Lady Miners got closer in every game Tuesday night, but fell by scores of 30-17, 30-21 and 30-28.

Thanks to a .375 hitting percentage in the opening game, the Tritons were able to get past the Lady Miners rather easily. UMR improved its hitting in game two, but the Tritons were still over the 30 percent mark and had just five hitting errors in the first two games of the match.

UMR had its best hitting mark in game three of .189 and hung in the match until the very end before UMSL came away with the two-point victory and the match.

Leandra Pelae led the Lady Miners with nine kills on the night, while Ashlyn Balensiefer had 30 assists and nine digs. Bridget Williams paced UMR with 16 digs on the evening.

UMR (1-11, 1-2 GLVC) will host three matches over the weekend starting with Friday's 7 p.m. GLVC tilt against Southern Indiana at the Bullman Multi-Purpose Building.

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UMR volleyball gets first win

By John Kean
UMR Sports Information

ROLLA -- Less than 24 hours after recording its first win of the season, the UMR volleyball team ran into -- and lost to -- one of the top teams in the Great Lakes Valley Conference as 20th-ranked Rockhurst came away with a 3-0 win over the Lady Miners Saturday at the Bullman Multi-Purpose Building.

The Hawks, who have lost just once in 10 matches this season, won the three games by scores of 30-19, 30-20 and 30-24.

UMR hung in the first game and took a 10-8 lead on a service ace by Maddie Owak. However, the Hawks ran off 13 of the next 15 points to go up 21-12 and never looked back.

Rockhurst then took control at the outset of the second game, going up at one point by the score of 20-9. UMR was able to close the gap to four on a kill by Leandra Pelae but couldn't draw any closer.

UMR scored the first point of game three, but Rockhurst scored 10 of the game's next 13 points to go up 10-4. Trailing 20-14 later in the match,

UMR made a run that saw it get to within a point on three occasions. A kill by Hope Mooberry made the score 21-20, then Lauren Summerville made a kill two points later to cut the Hawk lead to 22-21.

The Lady Miners got to within one again on a kill by Pelae, but Rockhurst scored six straight points to go up 29-22. UMR was able to stave off match point twice before the Hawks closed out the contest.

Pelae led UMR with 12 kills in the match while Owak had eight to go along with a .316 hitting percentage. Ashlyn Balensiefer recorded 30 assists while Bridget Williams finished with 16 digs.

The Lady Miner volleyball team finally got to play a match in front of its home fans -- and the large turnout at the Bullman Multi-Purpose Building saw a history-making night.

UMR spotted Drury the first game of Friday's match, then rattled off victories in the next three games to come away with a 3-1 in its Great Lakes Valley Conference and home debut before a crowd of around 1,200 fans.

After dropping game one 30-24, UMR posted wins of 30-25, 30-24 and 32-30 in a hard-fought fourth game to get into the win column for the first time in its inaugural season.

The Lady Miners were tied at 13 in game one after a kill by Maddie Owak, but Drury took the lead for good by scoring the next five points. But UMR turned the tables on the Panthers in the second game, making a late surge to pull it out.

After getting to within one at 22-21 on a kill by Lauren Summerville, UMR scored five straight points with Ashlyn Balensiefer serving. Owak had a kill and an assisted block with Katie Herington during that sequence as UMR took a 26-22 lead. Drury halted that run with a kill on

the next point, but the Lady Miners finished the game off on one of Leandra Pelae's 20 kills in the contest.

UMR then used a big mid-game run in the third game to take control. Up 15-14, Herington's kill started an 8-2 run that put the Lady Miners

ahead 23-16 and forced Drury to use two timeouts. The Panthers got the lead down to four at 27-23 before two service errors by Drury and a service ace by Herington secured the win in game three.

The Lady Miners trailed for a good portion of game four, trailing by as many as seven points on two occasions. UMR started clawing back into the game and eventually caught up at 26 on a block by Herington. The two teams fought tooth-and-nail after that as they traded the next eight points.

Pelae's kill off an assist by Balensiefer tied the game at 30, then she delivered a service ace to put UMR up for the first time in game four since it was 5-4. Moments later, Summerville finished the match with a spike that the Panthers could not keep on the floor.

Besides Pelae's 20 kills, Summerville finished the night with 15. Balensiefer had 47 assists in the contests while Pelae led the way with eight digs.

UMR will return to action Tuesday, Sept. 11, when it plays at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in a 7 p.m. match.

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Lady Miner volleyball drops two Saturday

By John Kean
UMR Sports Information

GOLDEN, Colo. -- Saturday, Sept. 1 started out in wonderful fashion for the University of Missouri-Rolla volleyball team, but it couldn't sustain the early momentum and lost both of its matches to wrap up the weekend at the Oredigger Classic at Colorado School of Mines.

The Lady Miners had their most impressive single game performance of the early season in their first match Saturday, beating defending Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference champion Western New Mexico 30-17 in the opening game. However, WNMU came back and won the next three games to take a 3-1 decision.

On Saturday night, UMR dropped a 32-30 game to the host school and ended up getting swept in three games.

UMR jumped out to a 13-2 lead to start the Western New Mexico match and went on to win the game thanks in large part to a .321 hitting percentage. But as that mark started to decline over the course of the match, so did the team's fortunes.

Western New Mexico won game two 30-22 as it took charge in the early stages of that game, then held off the Lady Miners in the third game for a 30-27 win. UMR was within a point at 22-21 after back-to-back service aces by Bridget Williams but couldn't catch all the way up. The Mustangs won the fourth game 30-13.

Leandra Pelae led UMR with 15 kills while Lauren Summerville finished with 11. Ashlyn Balensiefer had 39 assists while Williams and Pelae combined for 32 digs. The Lady Miners finished the match with a .122 hitting percentage after the fast start.

In the 3-0 loss to Colorado School of Mines, the Lady Miners and Orediggers battled until CSM came away with the first game win at 32-30.

Then, just like in the Western New Mexico match, the Lady Miner attack percentage fell in the last two games as the team was guilty of 20 attack errors in the final two games, won by CSM 30-17 and 30-21.

Pelae and Summerville had nine kills apiece, while Balensiefer finished with 27 assists and 14 digs.

On Friday, Aug. 31 at Golden, Col. the Lady Miners dropped a part of matches, 3-0 to Western State and 3-1 to Adams State.

UMR will be back in action Tuesday, Sept. 4 when it faces Washburn in Topeka, Kan.

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Lady Miner volleyball opens

By John Kean
UMR Sports Information

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – The University of Missouri-Rolla volleyball team got its inaugural season started on Friday, Aug. 24 but not quite in the fashion they it had hoped in the Christian Brothers Tournament.

After falling earlier in the day to Harding in three games the Lady Miners fell in four games to Ouachita Baptist in a 3-1 decision after UMR held a 1-0 lead after a 30-22 opening game win.

The Lady Miners claimed their first game of the season by using a strong mid-game run to assume control. After falling behind 3-1 early in the match UMR scored four straight points to go in front. Then up 12-9, UMR ran off 14 of the next 20 points to go up 26-15.

Ouachita Baptist closed to within seven but the Lady Miners finished the game off when Leandra Pelae posted one of her game-high 16 kills off an assist form Ashlyn Balensiefer, who had 31 for the four games.

UMR also got nine kills form Lynsey Jorgensen, who had a .471 attack percentage in the match, and Katie Herington. Bridget Williams led the Lady Miners with 24 digs.

The Lady Miners ran into a difficult opponent in their first venture on the volleyball court on Friday, dropping a 3-0 decision to Harding. The Lady Bisons won by scores of 30-19, 30-15, 30-13. Harding was the preseason favorite in the Gulf South Conference West Division.

UMR got six kills from Maddie Owak and five from Pelae while Balensiefer, who had a kill percentage of 40 percent, finished with 20 assists. Williams had nine digs and Annie Smith finished with seven.

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Wait is over...Lady Miner volleyball takes court

ROLLA – It was a night a long time in coming.

And that fact was not lost on players or coaches of the University of Missouri-Rolla volleyball team.

The Lady Miners took the court in front of a crowd for the first time ever on Monday, Aug. 20, as the squad held its Silver/Gold Scrimmage to serve up the inaugural season for UMR volleyball at the Gale Bullman Multi-Purpose Building. And a large group of vocal UMR students were on hand to welcome the school’s newest varsity sport.

"I’ve been waiting for this day for a year and three months...ever since I was hired on here," said a beaming Lady Miner volleyball head coach Jason Holt following Monday’s scrimmage. "Tonight was very special for the coaches and players. It’s the start of history, with a new sport beginning."

The Lady Miners provided the fans with plenty to cheer about as the scrimmage was made up of three competitive games, with the silver team winning two of them and the gold team winning the final game.

The squad is exactly what one would expect a brand new program to be. Of the 17 players on the roster 14 are freshmen and two are sophomores. The "veteran" is junior Stephanie Harman, who earned a spot on the squad with a tryout during the 2006-07 school year.

"To go through a building process like this is special," Holt said. "Usually there is some tradition there; the team has been around for a while. But to become a part of a program that has no tradition at all...it’s a big deal for these girls."

UMR is scheduled to open its season with a pair of road tournaments, going to Memphis, Tenn. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 24-25 for the Christian Brothers Classic (vs. Harding at noon and Ouachita Baptist at 4 p.m. on Friday and vs. Christian Brothers at 10 a.m. and against Belhaven at 2 p.m. on Saturday) and then on to Golden, Colo. for four matches in the Colorado School of Mines Tournament.

After a non-conference road match against Washburn in Topeka on Sept. 4, UMR is scheduled to play its home opener on Friday, Sept. 7 against Great Lakes Valley Conference foe Drury at 7 p.m. at the Bullman Building. On Saturday, Sept. 8 the Lady Miners are to host Rockhurst in a league match on Fort Leonard Wood Appreciation Day.

Holt says its going to take some on-the-job training for his young squad.

"With how young we are, I’m pleased with how quickly we have come together," he said. "We have a lot of skilled players who are inexperienced collegiately. We’ve grown a lot.

"As long as we stay healthy I think we’ve got depth at every position. (Freshman setter) Ashlyn Balensiefer was voted by the team as the captain. She has really stepped it up. Another player who has been impressive is (freshman middle hitter) Samantha Klump. And (freshman middle hitter) Katie Herington has really been a solid player so far."

LADY MINER NOTES – Herington sang the National Anthem to start off the scrimmage.

Holt’s coaching staff includes assistant Heather Roberts, who kept Monday’s crowd involved as the PR announcer, and student assistant Kristina Conley.

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UMR volleyball scrimmages on Monday, Aug. 20

By John Kean
UMR Sports Information

ROLLA -- The day is almost here.

The inaugural season of volleyball at the University of Missouri-Rolla is right around the corner and fans will get their first opportunity to see the team Monday night when the Lady Miners will hold their Silver and Gold intrasquad scrimmage at the Gale Bullman Multi-Purpose Building.

The scrimmage will start at 7 p.m. and will be free of charge to the public. The team will also be available for autographs following the event.

Head coach Jason Holt, who has spent the last year putting together the squad, is more than ready to see the Lady Miners get into game action.

"Each of the players within the program knows how great of an opportunity this is to be a part of," Holt said. "They have all worked very hard this past summer preparing to put this new program on the volleyball map."

A total of 17 players are on the first Lady Miner roster, 14 of whom are freshmen in eligibility. But while the team may be youthful in its makeup, there is plenty of talent in that group which has made for a spirited pre-season as everyone has been trying to make an impression to earn roles on the team.

"With everyone on the roster being new, we will have a lot of competition for playing time at every position this year," Holt said.

"That will help us take the first steps in the right direction for this new and exciting program."

The Lady Miners have three liberos and defensive specialists on the roster. Stephanie Harman (Carl Junction, Mo.), a junior who made the team through a tryout session last fall, heads up a group that will also feature freshmen Annie Smith (Florissant, Mo./Incarnate Word) and

Bridget Williams (Topeka, Kan./Hayden).

UMR also has three setters in the fold this fall in redshirt freshmanTory Smiley (Springfield, Mo./Glendale) and incoming freshmen Ashlyn Balensiefer (Lafayette, Ind./McCutcheon) and Lisa Bradley (Littleton,Colo./Columbine).

The deepest position for the Lady Miners this season is at middle hitter, where five players - all of whom stand six feet or above - are competing for playing time.

Lynsey Jorgenson (St. Louis, Mo./Lindbergh), a sophomore who will be the Lady Miners' captain this season, joins four freshmen in the competition for time at that spot. A pair of 6-1 players, Hope Mooberry (Morton,Ill.) and Samantha Klump (Ash Grove, Mo.), will contend for spots along with Katie Herington (Kalona, Iowa/Mid-Prairie) and Kaci Herron (Jonesboro, Ark.), a duo that garnered numerous honors at the highschool level.

The last of the players who were on campus last year, sophomore Lisa Robinson (Lake Charles, La./St. Louis Catholic), is among the four outside hitters on the roster. Freshmen Leandra Pelae (Dunlap, Ill.), Jessica Laughary (Wheaton, Mo.) and Kit Spears (Valley Center, Kan.) are

also expected to compete for time at that role.

On the opposite side, freshmen Lauren Summerville (Fenton, Mo./Rockwood Summit) and Maddie Owak (Tinley Park, Ill./Chicago Christian) will contend for the right side hitter position.

UMR's first regular season match is scheduled for August 24 as it will take part in the Christian Brothers Classic. The Lady Miners will play four games in that event, four more over Labor Day weekend in a tournament at Colorado School of Mines and a match at Washburn before

their home opening weekend.

The Lady Miners will start the home slate Sept. 7 against Drury and Sept. 8 against Rockhurst.

Here is the Lady Miner volleyball schedule:

Aug. 20 SILVER-GOLD SCRIMMAGE 7:00

Aug. 24 Harding # 12:00

Aug. 24 Ouachita Baptist # 4:00

Aug. 25 @Christian Brothers 10:00

Aug. 25 Belhaven # 2:00

Aug. 31 Western State % 12:00

Aug. 31 Adams State % 4:30

Sept. 1 Western New Mexico % 12:00

Sept. 1 @Colo. School of Mines 8:30

Sept. 4 @Washburn 6:00

Sept. 7 DRURY* 7:00

Sept. 8 ROCKHURST* 3:00

Sept. 11 @Missouri-St. Louis* 7:00

Sept. 14 SOUTHERN INDIANA* 7:00

Sept. 15 PITTSBURG STATE 1:00

Sept. 15 SOUTHWEST BAPTIST 6:00

Sept. 21 @SIU Edwardsville* 7:00

Sept. 22 @Quincy* 3:00

Sept. 26 MISSOURI VALLEY 7:00

Sept. 28 @Bellarmine* 6:00

Sept. 29 @Kentucky Wesleyan* 3:00

Oct. 4 SAINT JOSEPH'S* 7:00

Oct. 5 NORTHERN KENTUCKY* 7:00

Oct. 6 INDIANAPOLIS* 3:00

Oct. 12 @Wisconsin-Parkside* 7:00

Oct. 13 @Lewis* 3:00

Oct. 16 @Central Missouri 7:00

Oct. 19 SIU EDWARDSVILLE* 7:00

Oct. 20 QUINCY* 5:30

Oct. 26 @Drury* 7:00

Oct. 27 @Rockhurst* 4:00

Oct. 30 MISSOURI-ST. LOUIS* 7:00

Nov. 2 @Southern Indiana* 7:00

Nov. 3 Emporia State & 3:00

Nov. 3 @Truman State 7:00

Nov. 8 GLVC Tournament starts

*GLVC game - All times Central

# at Memphis, Tenn.

% at Golden, Colo.

& at Kirksville, Mo.

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UMR adds women’s volleyball

ROLLA – In his professional career, Jason Holt has assisted one collegiate volleyball program to a huge turnaround and another to its first post-season appearances. Now, he will get the opportunity to put his own stamp on a program right from the beginning.

Holt has been selected to head up the University of Missouri-Rolla’s volleyball program, which will begin play in the fall of 2007. The Great Lakes Valley Conference mandated that UMR add the sport of women’s volleyball to its varsity athletics program by that time.

"We are excited about adding Jason to our outstanding coaching staff," said UMR director of athletics Mark Mullin. "I believe his personality, qualifications and work ethic will assure a successful start for our volleyball program. I know the campus is excited about the addition of the program, especially those involved with women’s recruitment.

"There is a great deal of planning, scheduling and recruitment to do over the next year and I know Jason is eager to get started," Mullin added.

"First and foremost, I’m extremely excited about the opportunity to work at UMR and to get the opportunity to start the Lady Miner volleyball program," Holt said. "We have the chance to start something great and this university has a lot of things to offer that are attractive to the type of student-athletes that we need to compete in the GLVC."

Holt will begin his duties in July and will spend much of the upcoming year on the recruiting trail putting together the Lady Miner volleyball squad that will take the floor 14 months from now.

"Because we are starting from scratch, this is going to allow us to build something that will be unique to UMR," Holt said. "Volleyball is a sport that we feel can get a lot of community support right away and allow us a chance to have success."

Holt has spent the last four seasons as an assistant coach at the University of North Dakota, where he helped lead the Sioux to their first two appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament. He served as the interim head coach on two separate occasions. During the last three years, the Sioux had an overall record of 65-59 with national tournament appearances in 2002 and 2003.

The 2003 team beat ninth-ranked Minnesota-Duluth in the opening round of the NCAA North Central Regional before falling in a tight match to No. 12 North Dakota State in the next round, while the 2002 Sioux won 24 matches, tying the second-best total in school history.

Prior to his stint at UND, Holt spent two seasons assisting the program at Fort Hays State University and helped lead the team to a 16 ½-game improvement in his second season.

"There are two things that I think are keys to building programs," Holt said. "One is getting the right players into the program and the other is getting ones with the proper work ethic and the belief that we can and want to get the program going in the right direction. You need to have smart and dedicated student-athletes who will commit to make it a success right away."

Holt, a native of Grants Pass, Ore., received his bachelor’s degree in physical education and interdisciplinary studies from Western Oregon University in 1995 and earned his master’s degree in physical education and sports administration in 2002 from Fort Hays State.

He began his coaching career at the high school level in 1989 as the junior varsity coach at Springfield High School in Oregon. After three seasons in Springfield, he moved on to head coaching stints at Central High in Independence, Ore., for three seasons and at Sprague (Ore.) High for four years before taking a position with the Front Range Volleyball Club in Denver, Colo.

Holt spent one year with the Front Range program before joining the staff at Fort Hays State.

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