Volleyball Opens Season At FGCU Homewood Suites Invitational

RALLY POINTS
• Ole Miss volleyball opens the season on the road in Fort Myers, Florida, taking on St. John’s, FGCU and Arizona State at the FGCU Homewood Suites Invitational.
• This weekend will mark the Rebels’ first meetings with the Johnnies, Eagles and Sun Devils.
• After serving in an interim role for the final 11 matches last season, Bre Henry was named the ninth head coach at Ole Miss.
• Sasha Ratliff, a two-time All-SEC Team member, was one of 15 student-athletes named to the conference’s preseason team. She looks to become the second-ever Rebel to earn three All-Conference nods in her career.
• Four years in a Rebel uniform just wasn’t enough for Anna Bair and Maggie Miller, who chose to utilize their extra year of eligibility and return for a fifth season with the Rebels.
• Last season, the Rebels’ young core of Aly Borellis, Cammy Niesen and Vivian Miller turned heads in the SEC, garnering a combined four weekly honors. Borellis also earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman team.

SCOUTING THE FIELD

Heading into her 30th season with St. John’s Volleyball, Joanne Persico, the only head coach in the program’s history, leads the Red Storm. With 545 career victories, including 20 from a year ago, Persico ranks 23rd among active head coaches in wins. The Johnnies, picked fourth in the BIG-EAST preseason poll, will look for junior Giorgia Walther to have another big year after leading the Red Storm with 463 total kills and 3.67 kills per set in 2022. Along with Walther, St. John’s returns a talented group from the 2022 squad, including BIG EAST All-Freshman Team selection Lucrezia Lodi and setter Wiktoria Kowalczyk, who led the Red Storm in assists with 1,299.

The hosts, Florida Gulf Coast, are led by head coach Matt Botsford in his 10th year with the program. A sneaky program that can’t be overlooked, the Eagles are one of only 15 teams nationally with 120 or more wins in the past five seasons. Last year, Botsford led the Eagles to a 26-7 record and a second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. With eight players returning from a season ago, FGCU was…