COLUMBUS — While the Friday night lights were on outside, Mississippi University for Women’s volleyball team was making history. The Owls registered a 3-1 win in their season-opener against Crowley’s Ridge College, the first opening day win in eight seasons since athletics were reintroduced at the university.
“We had some young players step up tonight which is fun to see so early in their careers,” Owls head coach Breylee Linder said to MUW media after the game. “I thought, as a whole, we showed the grit and tenacity that will be needed as we get further into the season. We struggled to find our rhythm early in the first set, but quickly adjusted and our confidence kept growing throughout the match.”
Linder is 1-0 now in her first season as a head coach with the Owls, or any college program for that matter. The rookie coach arrived in May, taking over a program that has just two seniors and five freshmen on the roster.
One of those freshmen is a local, New Hope alumni Megan Neeb, who had a double-double in her debut alongside fellow freshman Madison Wood, who set a school match record with 46 assists.
The standout for the Owls was MC Brown, a junior transfer who set school records with 22 kills and 47 attack attempts.
It’s an exciting start to the season for the Owls, who will return to action at 5 p.m. on Wednesday against Jarvis Christian College inside Pohl Gym and hope for a strong turnout to give them another boost.
“We all really appreciated the turnout from the school and community,” Linder said. “It added so much to the energy on the court. It was a great way to begin our season!”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 36 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
