Willis leads MSSU volleyball into 2004 season

Chris Willis, the new women’s volleyball coach at Missouri Southern State University, has one personal goal as he launches his career as a head coach.

“I want to connect with the community,” he explains. “When the people in this community think about volleyball, I want them to think Missouri Southern. Our players and our staff need to make our names known in the community so that our fans come to us for a source of entertainment. I want to bring the volleyball community in Joplin together to develop talent, not only players but also coaches.”

A graduate of Baylor University, Willis didn’t take command of the Southern program until late June following the resignation of long-time coach Debbie Traywick. His squad opens the 2004 season on Friday (Aug. 27) at the Harding (Ark.) Classic with matches against Christian Brothers (Tenn.) at 12:15 p.m. and Henderson State (Ark.) at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Southern faces the host, Harding at 12:15 p.m. and meets Texas A&M-Commerce at 4:45 p.m.

“One of my personal goals was to be a head coach,” Willis said. “And I can’t think of a better place to be. The MIAA is one of the best Division II conferences in the NCAA. We play nationally ranked competition every other weekend in conference play … eight matches with ranked teams. I want our team to contend with the big dogs in the country.”

Willis takes over a team depleted by graduation, but he’s ready to face the challenge of a tough non-conference and MIAA schedule with a young club.

“Volleyball is a game of patterns and predictability,” said the former assistant at Southwest Missouri State University. “It’s a repetitive sport. There’s not a lot new under the sun that I can bring something amazing to the program. Volleyball is the same at whatever level you’re coaching.

“But I think I bring a fresh, new energy to the program that the players have been desiring. That’s the feedback I’ve been getting. It’s exciting for me that our players have the hunger and desire to be a great team. I hope to bring some new ideas and intensity to the court.”

Willis doesn’t expect to turn the Lions conference title contenders overnight.

“In this first year, I want to develop a new training mentality and a competition mindset. I think it’s really necessary for this program. I expect to challenge my players each and every day in practice. I take great pride in my ability to prepare for matches and create the best system for the talent we have. You can’t put square pegs in round holes.

“My focus will be on my team and what we can do, not what the other teams have and can do,” he added.

Willis, with no time to recruit after taking the position, takes over a team that returns one starter, four others who saw limited action last year, three redshirt freshmen, a junior college transfer and five true freshmen.

Missouri Southern’s list of returnees starts with senior outside hitter Jackie Gallagher, a native of Glendale, Ariz., and a transfer in 2002 from the University of Idaho. Although she played in only 78 games due to an injury, Gallagher averaged 4.4 kills per game and was a second-team All-MIAA selection.

“Jackie is going to be a leader not only on court, but off the court as well,” Willis said. “She has set her priorities to have a great season on the court and in the classroom. I’ve been so impressed with her physically, mentally and emotionally. She has drawn in our freshmen and our transfer and has united this team. Obviously, her physical abilities on court are outstanding. She could be the best outside hitter in the conference. I want to maximize her abilities on the court. She has earned the respect of her teammates and has been voted one of our co-captains.”

Southern’s only other senior is three-year letterwinner Sara Jaynes (Springfield, Mo.).

“Sara is a stabilizing agent on the court,” Willis said. “She doesn’t make a lot of errors, has good ball control and moves the ball around the court very well.”

There are two juniors: returnee Marci Johnson from Winona, Mo., and transfer Denise Lancaster, a native of Oklahoma City who attended Redlands College in Oklahoma.

“Marci and Denise are competing for the starting job at setter and I’m excited about that position,” Willis said. “Marci gives us good leadership and was voted one of our captains. She has a fantastic pair of hands and does a great job of conducting the offense. Denise brings great athleticsm and maturity to the court. She will find time at some position.”

Sophomore hitters Katie Patterson (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) and Ashley Mehrer (Kansas City, Mo.) lettered last year.

“Katie brings a great arm swing to the court, works the ball around the block and has enough force to terminate. I’ve been very impressed with her,” Willis said. “Ashley does a great job in front of the setter and brings a tremendous block to the court. She gets her hands above the net quickly and takes a lot of space at the net. I think she will help us be a better blocking team this year. I believe we were next to last in the conference last year. One of my goals is to be in the top half of the conference in blocks. We will emphasize that a lot this year.”

The redshirt freshmen include outside hitter Sarah Hoffmeister (Joplin), libero Amy Barnicle (Willard, Mo.) and middle hitter Ashley Wright (Miller, Mo.).

“Sarah is a strong outside hitter,” Willis emphasized. “She has a very live arm and hits a heavy ball. She’s going to see some court time this year, whether as a starter or backup. She brings a great attitude and court smarts that I’m excited about.

“Amy will see plenty of playing time at the libero position. She will compete with (freshman) Teyoni Wilson (Joplin) at that position. Teyoni has been a big surprise and touches more balls on the court than anyone.

“Ashley has tremendous speed and is very quick laterally. She attacks behind the setter very well and has a very quick arm swing.”

In addition to Wilson, Southern’s other true freshmen are middle hitter Erin Klaus (Troy, Ill.), outside hitter Jessi Wright (Independence, Mo.), setter Brittany Gilliam (Joplin) and outside hitter Jessi Loyd (Joplin).

“Jessi Wright will be a huge presence on the right side. She is a prototypical right-side player, big block and hits a quick ball in front and a high ball behind the setter. I want someone big and physical who can shut a hitter down,” Willis said of his 6-foot-2 freshman.

Gilliam, Loyd and Klaus will benefit from a year in the program, Willis said. “I’ve been impressed with the work ethic of these three freshmen.”

Missouri Southern was picked eighth in the MIAA preseason coaches poll.

“We have to assume the underdog role this year,” Willis said. “We have three teams (Truman, Central Missouri State and Pittsburg State) that are nationally-ranked and another (Washburn) that received votes. If I were picking our team, as someone from outside the program, I would probably pick us that low based on the fact we return only one starter from a team that finished sixth last year. But I believe we’ll beat some people we shouldn’t beat according to the polls.”

Nicole Shoger, a four-year collegiate letterwinner who played middle blocker at the University of Central Arkansas, and student assistant Kym Mutert, record-setting assists leader of the Lions, are helping Willis this season.

“I’m excited about having Nicole in the program,” Willis said. “She’s from the St. Louis area and has good connections in that area. I want her to take a vested interest in the recruiting field. She will specialize in the training of our middle hitters. Kym has been very helpful in preseason work and can help us in all areas.”


	Aug. 25, 2004 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Willis leads MSSU volleyball into 2004 season Southern starts new campaign on Friday Chris Willis, the new women’s volleyball coach at Missouri Southern State University, has one personal goal as he launches his career as a head coach. “I want to connect with the community,” he explains. “When the people in this community think about volleyball, I want them to think Missouri Southern. Our players and our staff need to make our names known in the community so that our fans come to us for a source of entertainment. I want to bring the volleyball community in Joplin together to develop talent, not only players but also coaches.” A graduate of Baylor University, Willis didn’t take command of the Southern program until late June following the resignation of long-time coach Debbie Traywick. His squad opens the 2004 season on Friday (Aug. 27) at the Harding (Ark.) Classic with matches against Christian Brothers (Tenn.) at 12:15 p.m. and Henderson State (Ark.) at 7 p.m. On Saturday, Southern faces the host, Harding at 12:15 p.m. and meets Texas A&M-Commerce at 4:45 p.m. “One of my personal goals was to be a head coach,” Willis said. “And I can’t think of a better place to be. The MIAA is one of the best Division II conferences in the NCAA. We play nationally ranked competition every other weekend in conference play … eight matches with ranked teams. I want our team to contend with the big dogs in the country.” Willis takes over a team depleted by graduation, but he’s ready to face the challenge of a tough non-conference and MIAA schedule with a young club. “Volleyball is a game of patterns and predictability,” said the former assistant at Southwest Missouri State University. “It’s a repetitive sport. There’s not a lot new under the sun that I can bring something amazing to the program. Volleyball is the same at whatever level you’re coaching. “But I think I bring a fresh, new energy to the program that the players have been desiring. That’s the feedback I’ve been getting. It’s exciting for me that our players have the hunger and desire to be a great team. I hope to bring some new ideas and intensity to the court.” Willis doesn’t expect to turn the Lions conference title contenders overnight. “In this first year, I want to develop a new training mentality and a competition mindset. I think it’s really necessary for this program. I expect to challenge my players each and every day in practice. I take great pride in my ability to prepare for matches and create the best system for the talent we have. You can’t put square pegs in round holes. “My focus will be on my team and what we can do, not what the other teams have and can do,” he added. Willis, with no time to recruit after taking the position, takes over a team that returns one starter, four others who saw limited action last year, three redshirt freshmen, a junior college transfer and five true freshmen. Missouri Southern’s list of returnees starts with senior outside hitter Jackie Gallagher, a native of Glendale, Ariz., and a transfer in 2002 from the University of Idaho. Although she played in only 78 games due to an injury, Gallagher averaged 4.4 kills per game and was a second-team All-MIAA selection. “Jackie is going to be a leader not only on court, but off the court as well,” Willis said. “She has set her priorities to have a great season on the court and in the classroom. I’ve been so impressed with her physically, mentally and emotionally. She has drawn in our freshmen and our transfer and has united this team. Obviously, her physical abilities on court are outstanding. She could be the best outside hitter in the conference. I want to maximize her abilities on the court. She has earned the respect of her teammates and has been voted one of our co-captains.” Southern’s only other senior is three-year letterwinner Sara Jaynes (Springfield, Mo.). “Sara is a stabilizing agent on the court,” Willis said. “She doesn’t make a lot of errors, has good ball control and moves the ball around the court very well.” There are two juniors: returnee Marci Johnson from Winona, Mo., and transfer Denise Lancaster, a native of Oklahoma City who attended Redlands College in Oklahoma. “Marci and Denise are competing for the starting job at setter and I’m excited about that position,” Willis said. “Marci gives us good leadership and was voted one of our captains. She has a fantastic pair of hands and does a great job of conducting the offense. Denise brings great athleticsm and maturity to the court. She will find time at some position.” Sophomore hitters Katie Patterson (Lee’s Summit, Mo.) and Ashley Mehrer (Kansas City, Mo.) lettered last year. “Katie brings a great arm swing to the court, works the ball around the block and has enough force to terminate. I’ve been very impressed with her,” Willis said. “Ashley does a great job in front of the setter and brings a tremendous block to the court. She gets her hands above the net quickly and takes a lot of space at the net. I think she will help us be a better blocking team this year. I believe we were next to last in the conference last year. One of my goals is to be in the top half of the conference in blocks. We will emphasize that a lot this year.” The redshirt freshmen include outside hitter Sarah Hoffmeister (Joplin), libero Amy Barnicle (Willard, Mo.) and middle hitter Ashley Wright (Miller, Mo.). “Sarah is a strong outside hitter,” Willis emphasized. “She has a very live arm and hits a heavy ball. She’s going to see some court time this year, whether as a starter or backup. She brings a great attitude and court smarts that I’m excited about. “Amy will see plenty of playing time at the libero position. She will compete with (freshman) Teyoni Wilson (Joplin) at that position. Teyoni has been a big surprise and touches more balls on the court than anyone. “Ashley has tremendous speed and is very quick laterally. She attacks behind the setter very well and has a very quick arm swing.” In addition to Wilson, Southern’s other true freshmen are middle hitter Erin Klaus (Troy, Ill.), outside hitter Jessi Wright (Independence, Mo.), setter Brittany Gilliam (Joplin) and outside hitter Jessi Loyd (Joplin). “Jessi Wright will be a huge presence on the right side. She is a prototypical right-side player, big block and hits a quick ball in front and a high ball behind the setter. I want someone big and physical who can shut a hitter down,” Willis said of his 6-foot-2 freshman. Gilliam, Loyd and Klaus will benefit from a year in the program, Willis said. “I’ve been impressed with the work ethic of these three freshmen.” Missouri Southern was picked eighth in the MIAA preseason coaches poll. “We have to assume the underdog role this year,” Willis said. “We have three teams (Truman, Central Missouri State and Pittsburg State) that are nationally-ranked and another (Washburn) that received votes. If I were picking our team, as someone from outside the program, I would probably pick us that low based on the fact we return only one starter from a team that finished sixth last year. But I believe we’ll beat some people we shouldn’t beat according to the polls.” Nicole Shoger, a four-year collegiate letterwinner who played middle blocker at the University of Central Arkansas, and student assistant Kym Mutert, record-setting assists leader of the Lions, are helping Willis this season. “I’m excited about having Nicole in the program,” Willis said. “She’s from the St. Louis area and has good connections in that area. I want her to take a vested interest in the recruiting field. She will specialize in the training of our middle hitters. Kym has been very helpful in preseason work and can help us in all areas.”