After finishing 9-7 in the Big South for the unusual 2020-2021 school year, the Winthrop volleyball team is “hoping for a ‘regular’ season this fall.”
“This past spring season was by far the most challenging, physically and emotionally, of the past twenty years. We crave a sense of normalcy and routine,” said head coach Chuck Rey.
Entering his fourth year with the Eagles’ volleyball team, Rey has been diligently working all summer preparing his team for the upcoming fall season.
“We had a junior graduate early, and thus we worked hard to fill her spot. On June 15, that is the day the NCAA allows us to speak with the sophomore class, and we were constantly on the phone day and night,” Rey said.
“On June 1, the NCAA resumed in-person recruiting, the first time we were allowed to recruit in-person in over a year. The coaching staff traveled extensively throughout the summer to recruit.”
Aside from working with Winthrop, Rey and his team coached high school camps across the south more this summer than ever before to supplement their operations budget for the fall season.
“One coaching mantra is: ‘Bad teams, no one leads. Average teams are coach–led. But elite teams are student-athlete led.’ We are fortunate to have an incredible group of women leaders that continue to drive themselves to be great,” Rey said.
On Aug. 17, students, alumni and other supporters entered the Winthrop Coliseum to cheer on the Eagles volleyball team hosting the preseason Garnet & Gold Scrimmage.
“Sports are not just an opportunity for athletes to compete, but an opportunity for people to enjoy a common bond and pride of their university and community,” Rey said.
“We are fortunate to have such amazing support throughout the years from the students and faculty at Winthrop University and so many in the Rock Hill community.”
Despite the summer revolving around volleyball, Rey was still able to spend quality time with his wife and children.
“Fortunately, we live in the beautiful state of South Carolina that has the beach and mountains. My family did tag along on a few recruiting trips so we could get a few days at the beach and mountains together,” Rey said.
Fifth–year student Morgan Bossler also enjoyed getting away from campus during the summer to visit her close family and friends. On Aug. 2, Bossler earned Big South Volleyball Preseason All-Conference Team honors for the second time in her career.
“It’s always nice to be recognized for my efforts on the volleyball court,” Bossler said.
“I’m super grateful to the NCAA for allowing us to have an extra year of eligibility after last season, and I’m grateful to Winthrop and my coaches for allowing me to stay for my extra year and have the chance to compete for another conference championship.”
Bossler also earned First-Team All-Conference and All-Academic Team honors at the conclusion of the 2020-2021 volleyball season.
Additionally, teammate Nikkia Benitez was named Honorable Mention All-Conference, while Brookelynn Thomas and Olivia Blackketter represented Winthrop on the All-Freshman Team.
The Fall 2021 season will open on Aug. 27 at the two-day Georgia Tournament, where the Eagles will compete against Pepperdine, Georgia and Morehead State. The Big South Preseason Poll has placed Winthrop in third, but not for the first time.
“Ironically or coincidentally, this is the same preseason poll placing we received in 2019, the year we won the Big South Championship. We hope history repeats itself,” Rey said.
“The team is excited for the challenge at the Georgia Tournament,” Rey said. “It will be a physical weekend that will test us, but considering our team thrives on tests (for the 3rd year in a row, the team earned the AVCA All-Academic Team Award with a 3.53 GPA), we are ready for this test.”
The Eagles welcomed six new athletes to the team for the 2021 season: freshmen Jenna Calloway, Megan Thoroman, Karli Shepherd, Rylie McMahen, Isabella Murray and junior transfer Alayna Jansky.
“I think we’re prepared,” Bossler said. “We’ve been back in Rock Hill training for over a month now and have been working really hard during that time to keep getting better and keep building our relationships with each other.
“We have a super tough preseason this year, and I think we’ve all kept that in the back of our minds as we’ve been preparing for [the] season.”
Non-conference play will last approximately a month until the Eagles open the Big South at Gardner-Webb on Sept. 24. The Eagles’ first home game will be the following day against Radford.
The Eagles’ main goal for the upcoming season is to once again be conference champions, earning them a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
“We all have high expectations for this season, and sometimes that can make us tense, but if we can continue to be confident in ourselves and lean on each other in the tough moments, then I think we’re going to do something really special this season,” Bossler said.
