W&L Volleyball Season Preview

Generals picked to hoist ODAC trophy for third straight season

8/24/2022 11:46:00 AM

LEXINGTON, Va. –The Washington and Lee volleyball team is predicted to win the 2022 Old Dominion Athletic Conference title after claiming 144 points and 12 first place votes in the annual ODAC Preseason Poll released on Monday (Aug. 29).

The defending champions received 12 of the 13 first-place votes after finishing the 2021 season with a perfect 11-0 conference record and a 28 game conference winning streak spanning into 2020.

Head Coach Bryan Snyder enters his 22nd season as the head coach of the Generals. The Generals leader has posted a 548-172 record and 204 wins in the ODAC. The 548 wins puts Snyder in the top 25 of active Division III volleyball coaches. The 2021 ODAC and VaSID Coach of the Year also is ranked in the top 25 in all-time coach winning percentage in Division III with a mark of .761.

2022 ODAC Volleyball Preseason Poll

Washington and Lee University (12) 144 pts.
Virginia Wesleyan University (1) 122 pts.
Randolph-Macon College 119 pts.
Averett University 106 pts.
Bridgewater College 102 pts.
University of Lynchburg 92 pts.
Eastern Mennonite University 84 pts.
Roanoke College 70 pts.
Shenandoah University 58 pts.
Guilford College 42 pts.
Randolph College 38 pts.
Ferrum College 23 pts.
Hollins University 14 pts.

National Poll/ Regional Ranking

In the first poll of the 2022 season released on Aug. 19 the Generals received eight votes to place them in the top 60 teams in Division III. The Generals finished the 2021 season finished sixth in the Region VI Regional Rankings. The Blue and White are the only ODAC team listed on the rankings.

Reigning champion Wisconsin-Eau Claire sits atop the poll with 72 of the 90 possible votes. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps comes in second with 11 first-place votes. Calvin rounds out the top three with four first-place votes.

We have had a great pre-season training camp thus far with a lot of competition. We have a very interesting contrast of experience levels with 10 returning players and eight new players, and our returning players have done an outstanding job of helping the new players learn our techniques and tactics.

I am very excited about the depth we have both offensively and defensively, as well as our leadership, and I believe that combination will put us in a position to be competitive all season long. We certainly have a lot of things that we still need to implement and improve upon, but I am very optimistic about the ultimate potential of this team.

Clearly, we will need to replace three great players who graduated last year, and our coaching staff is evaluating how we can best accomplish that with the strengths and weaknesses of this year’s personnel. I’m looking forward to another good week of practice and getting on the court to see where we stand next weekend.

Head Coach Bryan Snyder (22nd Season)

Schedule Preview

The Generals open up play in Maryville, Tenn., as part of the Maryville Invitational starting on September 2. W&L will open play against Rhodes at 10 a.m. for the first time since 2013 when the Generals took a 3-0 victory. After the battle with the Lynxes, the team will turn around to take on Maryville at noon. The next day, W&L will take on Johnson (Tenn.) and Sewanee starting at 2 p.m.

Washington and Lee will return home the next weekend and host the W&L Invitational on September 9. The Generals are set to host five teams; Marymount (Va.), Centre, Southern Virginia, Gettysburg and Guilford. The play will start on Sept 9 at 2 p.m. when Guilford and Southern Virginia take the court. W&L will start on Sept. 9 at 4:30 p.m. taking on Marymount. The Blue and White will follow up the game against the Saints by taking on Centre at 7:30 p.m.

The next day the Generals will take on Southern Virginia and Gettysburg starting at 11 a.m.

After the W&L Invitational, the Generals will start conference play hosting Roanoke on September 13 starting at 7 p.m. The Generals currently hold a 43-7 record against Roanoke including a seven-game win streak dating back to 2014.

A short road trip is up next, traveling to Christopher Newport and Eastern Mennonite on September 15 and 20, respectively. After the road trip, the team returns home for conference games against Randolph and Lynchburg the following weekend.

The Generals currently own a 43-game winning streak against Randolph dating all the way back to 1988. W&L also holds a 13-game winning streak against Lynchburg dating back to 2016.

For the next two weeks, Washington and Lee will have a four-game stretch on the road with short trips to Southern Virginia and for and ODAC matchup at Hollins. After that, the Blue and White will see their furthest ODAC competition, traveling to Guilford and Averett. The Cougars new to the Old Dominion Athletic Conference is a familiar opponent, most recently in the USA South. W&L owns a 24-8 series record but will be looking to avenger a 3-0 loss at Averett early last season. The squad hit under .200 in their only loss at the Cougar Classic.

After a night-cap 6:30 p.m. matchup against Ferrum on Wednesday night in Holekamp Gym, the Generals head up I-81, visiting Shenandoah on Saturday October 7.

Randolph-Macon, the only conference opponent to push the Blue and White to five sets last year, is up next for the Generals on October 12. This year, W&L will travel to Ashland, Va., the 'Jackets were voted third in the ODAC Volleyball Preseason Poll.

The next home matchup comes against the predicted second-place Virginia Wesleyan on Oct. 19. The Generals look to continue a 10-game winning streak against the Marlins dating back to 2016. The Generals played VaWes twice last year, both were 3-0 victories including the ODAC Championship matchup

The W&L seniors will be honored on Saturday, October 22 against Mary Washington in a non-conference game. The Eagles took a 3-2 victory in Fredericksburg, Va. last year, prior to the Generals defeat, W&L had won three consecutive matches dating back to 2017.

Before the post season begins, the Generals will travel to Atlanta for the Emory Invitational for three games. The Generals open against Birmingham Southern on October 28 before turning around to play Oglethorpe later in the evening. The team will round out the regular season against Berry (Ga.) on Sunday.

Washington and Lee faced Berry and Birmingham Southern last year and fell to both teams.

The 2022 ODAC Tournament will begin on Nov. 2.

Key Returners

The ODAC conference champions return a key core of the 2021 team led by junior outside hitter Sydney Heifner. Heifner was one of two Generals named to the All-ODAC First Team in 2021. Heifner finished the season with a team-leading 433 kills with 3.9 per set. She posted 44 block assists, 46 total blocks and 25 assists for the Generals.

Joining Heifner on the All-ODAC First Team selection is senior libero Caroline Gard. Gard finished the 2021 season with 513 digs and 4.46 digs per set. The Naperville, Ill., native sits in 10th place in Washington and Lee history with 1,376 digs. She also posted 94 assists, as well as 40 service aces which placed her second on the team.

Another key returner from the 2021 championship season is setter Ashley Webb. Webb posted 1,111 assists in 2021, and now has a total of 2,103 placing her fifth in program history. The 1,111 assists also placed her in the top 20 of Division III players last season. The Thousand Oak, Calif., native also posted 48 kills and 196 digs for the Generals in 2021. Webb led the team with 48 service aces.

Maggie McSwain led the charge at the net with 85 blocks placing her second on the team behind graduating senior Katy Blain. The Atlanta native posted a career-high nine-block game against Birmingham Southern last year. The middle blocker also had 96 kills in 2021.

2021: Earned First Team All-ODAC honors… started all matches in 2021… Gard finished the 2021 season with 513 digs and 4.46 digs per set… The Naperville, Ill native sits in 10th place in Washington and Lee history with 1,376 digs… She also posted 94 assists as well as 40 serving aces which placed her second on the team.

2020-21: Earned First Team All-ODAC honors ... named the VaSID Defensive Player of the Year and First Team All-State ... earned CoSIDA Academic All-District laurels ... named to the ODAC All-Tournament Team ... started all 16 matches ... led the team and was second in the ODAC with 265 digs and was second in digs per set (4.91) ... also had 42 assists and 11 service aces ... registered double-digit digs in all but one match this season and had at least 20 digs in six contests, including a season-best 32 in a 3-1 win at Southern Virginia (4/3) ... the 32 digs tied for the eighth-most in a single match in program history ... had 23 digs and five assists in a 3-1 victory against Roanoke (3/21) ... recorded 23 digs in a 3-0 win over Bridgewater in the ODAC Semifinals (5/1).

2019: Named Honorable Mention All-Region by the AVCA in her first season, as well as making first team all-state … led the conference in total digs with 601 and was third in digs per set (4.76) … the 601 digs are the second-most in W&L history and represent the highest total by a first-year player ... also registered 111 assists and 39 service aces … played and started a team-high 34 contests … had double-digit digs in 32 of the team's 34 matches, including 21 straight to end the year … notched at least 20 digs in nine contests … against Birmingham-Southern (11/2), she totaled a season-best 38 digs, which marked the third-highest single-match total in program history and was the most since set scoring decreased from 30 to 25 … notched 29 digs in a 3-1 win over Bridgewater (11/6) in the ODAC quarterfinals … had 30 digs at Guilford (9/24).

High School: Earned four letters in volleyball at Benet Academy ... her team finished third in the state in 2018 ... was a team captain her first-year, sophomore and senior years ... a member of the National Honor Society.

Personal: Accounting major ... worked as an accounting intern for the Joliet Slammers over the summer.

2021: Played in 14 sets in 2021 in 10 matches… posted 14 digs and two assists.

2020-21: Played in five matches and seven sets in her first season ... totaled seven digs and two service aces ... had a season-best three digs in a 3-0 victory at Emory & Henry (3/24) ... totaled two digs and two service aces in a 3-0 win over Ferrum (3/13).

High School: Competed in volleyball at Marcus High School ... was the team MVP in 2016 ... a member of the National Honor Society.

Personal: Her mother, Brigitte Rousseau, played volleyball at Fairleigh Dickinson ... undeclared major.

2021: Appeared in all matches in 2021… totaled 85 blocks and only eight blocking errors… the Generals middle blocker also posted 20 serving aces… she also posted 96 kills and 12 assists… posted a career high of nine blocks against Birmingham Southern on Oct. 29.

2020-21: Appeared in 13 matches and 40 sets ... recorded career-bests in kills (46), digs (24), blocks (10) service aces (2) and assists (1) ... tied a career-best with 10 kills on a .421 hitting percentage in a 3-1 victory over Bridgewater (3/13) ... had a career-best six digs in a 3-0 win at Randolph (3/27) ... totaled seven kills in a 3-0 victory at Emory & Henry (3/24).

2019: Played in 11 matches and 18 sets in her first season … tallied 24 kills on a .212 hitting percentage … also had five digs and two blocks … totaled a season-high 10 kills on 20 swings (.500 hitting percentage) in a 3-0 victory over Ferrum (9/28) … recorded six kills and two digs against Birmingham-Southern (11/2).

High School: Earned seven letters in her prep career at The Westminster School with four in volleyball and three in track and field ... named to the all-region team her junior and senior seasons ... was an all-state performer her senior year ... was a captain in 2018 ... holds her school's career record in blocks ... her volleyball team won the state championship in 2016 ... a member of the National Honor Society.

Personal: Business administration major ... an athletic board member of the "24" student-athlete group.

2021: Appeared in 13 matches and 18 sets in the season… posted 14 kills in those matches… also posted three blocks in 2021.

2020-21: Played in one match and two sets in her first season.

High School: Competed in volleyball and basketball at Collegiate High School ... named All-League of Independent Schools in volleyball in 2019.

Personal: Her father, James, played football at Hampden-Sydney ... undeclared major.

New Face On Staff

Morgan Hoover was announced as the W&L Volleyball Assistant Coach in May 2022.

Hoover arrives at W&L after she spent the past four years on the volleyball staff at Concordia College. She served as the Assistant Varsity and Junior Varsity Coach for three years, before being elevated to the Head Junior Varsity Coach for the 2021 season, and she also served as the interim head coach for five months. Hoover evaluated players to create practice plans and game lineups, created itineraries and organized team meals for away trips, recorded in-game statistics and worked with the strength coach to create in- and out-of-season programs.

Under Hoover’s assistance, the 2018 team led the conference in solo blocks and finished second in blocks per set and total blocks. The 2019 squad finished ninth in the nation in blocks per set and second in the conference in solo blocks.

Hoover spent three seasons prior to Concordia as the Assistant Coach at Washington College (Md.), where she created practice plans and game lineups, reviewed film using Hudl for scouting reports, recorded in-game statistics and was also the recruiting coordinator. Additionally, Hoover served as the softball game management supervisor and the facility director for tournaments hosted by Bay Area Volleyball Academy. Hoover also has extensive experience coaching at the club level with teams in North Dakota and Maryland.

She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in recreation and parks management from Frostburg State University, before she went on to earn a Master’s of Science degree in Sports Management, with a concentration in strategic sport analysis from California University (Pa.). While at Frostburg, Hoover was a four-year member of the volleyball team, where she helped the Bobcats to three Capital Athletic Conference Tournament berths. She finished third on the program’s all-time list for blocks, was a two-time team MVP and four-time CAC All-Academic student.