Veteran lineup intact for Vols

John A. Logan volleyball is gearing up for a new season with a veteran team that will face a very tough schedule.

"We have 10 sophomores and that really gives us an experienced team," said Vol coach Bill Burnside who is 217-118 in his 11th year as head coach. "Due to our experience, preseason workouts have progressed faster than usual. I hope our team remembers how hard they worked to enjoy the success we had last year."

Last season the Lady Vols were 29-9, won the NJCAA Region 24 title, and won the Great Rivers Athletic Conference for a second straight year with an undefeated league record for the first time since 2010. Logan has won three straight Region 24 titles and Coach Burnside has won three straight Region 24 Coach of the Year honors.

Logan returns Region 24 MVP Kim Hall (Breese Central) who had a hitting percentage of.283 and is a very solid all-around player.

The tallest player on the squad is 6-1 Bryleigh Buchanan (Harrisburg), a left side hitter who is an excellent blocker.

The Volunteers open the season on Friday at the East Central Tournament in Union, Mo.

Logan will face Northeast Oklahoma and East Central College on Aug. 23 and John Wood and Mineral Area on Aug. 24.

"We have the potential to have a very good team, but this year's schedule is much tougher, Burnside said. "We open league play on Aug. 28 at Wabash Valley and face stiff competition in tournaments at Vincennes, at Lincoln Land and at Jefferson."

The Lady Vols first home contest will be against Southwestern Illinois (SWIC) on Sept. 4 with a start time of 6:30 p.m.