DRC Volleyball: fresh start, Gregory returns

[OldTimer]

Volleyball: Fresh start

Mean Green's Gregory returns after missing 2005 season

11:51 PM CDT on Thursday, August 24, 2006

By Brett Vito / Staff Writer

Brittney Gregory looked liked she had never missed a day of practice over the last year by the time North Texas began its preparations for the upcoming season a few weeks ago.

There couldn’t be much better news for the Mean Green.

Gregory was among UNT’s best players before missing all of last season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in her knee. The senior middle blocker will make her return to UNT’s lineup today when the Mean Green open their season with matches against Wyoming and USC at the Texas State Tournament in San Marcos.

“I am excited for Brittney,” UNT coach Cassie Headrick said. “She is a vocal, experienced and passionate player on the court who will bring a whole new dimension to our game. She draws a lot of attention and will open up our offense.”

Gregory displayed those traits during the first three years of her career and enters the season ranked second in school history with 1,110 kills. She is also in the top 10 in school history in aces and blocks.

The Sun Belt Conference’s coaches named Gregory to their all-league team, despite the fact she didn’t play last season. Gregory was expected to be one of the Mean Green’s top players, but injured her knee during a spring tournament at Texas.

“My knee is back to normal now,” Gregory said. “I was really strong before I hurt it and worked really hard to get back. When I got back on the court I didn’t have any reservations about playing.”

Headrick said Gregory posted the same vertical jump during preseason testing that she did as a junior before her injury.

UNT is hoping inserting Gregory back into its lineup will help the team improve on a season that saw the Mean Green finish second in the Sun Belt West Division with an 8-5 mark in league play.

UNT finished 14-18 overall and is picked to finish third this year in the preseason coaches poll.

“It will be extremely helpful to bring Brittney back,” UNT junior outside hitter Katy Prokof said. “Teams always look to their middle blockers for leadership. With Brittney being a senior, every aspect of her game will have improved from two years ago.”

Prokof described Gregory as confident and aggressive both on and off the floor. The attitude is one the Mean Green hope spreads to the rest of the players on a veteran team.

Prokof, who led the team with 383 kills and earned second team All-Sun Belt honors, is one of 12 players who return from last season.

“With the experience we have this year, we won’t have to wade through things like we did last season,” Headrick said. “We just have to find the right six players to put on the court each night. If someone is having an off night we will be able to put someone else in there.”

Headrick will have plenty of options with what she described as her deepest team in her tenure at UNT. The Mean Green return six players who had at least 110 kills last season.

Those returnees are anxious for the start of the season after a disappointing finish to their 2005 campaign. The Mean Green were swept by Arkansas-Little Rock in their first conference tournament match.

UNT will host the event this year and is hoping Gregory’s return will help them make an extended run in their new gym that opened this season.

“I feel good about the season,” Gregory said. “We are returning a lot of people and are comfortable playing together.”

BRETT VITO can be reached at 940-566-6870. His e-mail address is bvito@dentonrc.com.

North Texas volleyball roster

3 Ashley Bass S 6-0 Jr.

1 Roxana Casvean OH 5-11 Fr.

7 Catherine Coffey MB 6-1 So.

5 Brooke Engel OH 6-0 Jr.

37 Brittney Gregory MB 5-11 Sr.

13 Shaina Hedlund DS 5-6 So.

2 Tara Hooser OH 6-0 Sr.

8 Jessica Hulsebosch L 5-10 Jr.

9 Heather Maddox S 5-8 Fr.

6 Katy Prokof OH 5-11 Jr.

11 Rachel Raley OH 6-0 So.

14 Katie Ruiz DS 5-10 So.

4 Kristin Tolleson OH 5-10 Jr.

12 Ashley Waggoner DS 5-8 Jr.

10 Erica Wendell MB 6-1 Jr.

2006 North Texas volleyball schedule

August

Texas State Tournament

At San Marcos

25 vs. Wyoming 10 a.m.

25 vs. USC 2:30 p.m.

26 vs. UT-Pan American 11 a.m.

26 vs. Texas State 7 p.m.

September

Sam Houston State Tournament

Sam Houston

1 vs. Southern Miss. 11:30 a.m.

1 vs. Sam Houston State 7 p.m.

2 vs. Radford 9 a.m.

2 vs. Louisiana Tech 4:30 p.m.

5 TCU 7 p.m.

Mean Green Classic

8 Texas Southern 1 p.m.

8 Oklahoma 7 p.m.

9 Sam Houston State 1:30 p.m.

Illinois-Chicago Tournament

15 vs. Western Michigan 5 p.m.

16 vs. Illinois-Chicago 11 a.m.

16 vs. Western Illinois 5 p.m.

22 at Arkansas State* 7 p.m.

24 at Arkansas-Little Rock* 1 p.m.

29 Western Kentucky* 7 p.m.

October

1 Middle Tennessee* 1 p.m.

4 Stephen F. Austin 7 p.m.

6 at Florida International* 6 p.m.

7 at Florida Atlantic* 6 p.m.

13 Louisiana-Lafayette* 7 p.m.

14 Louisiana-Monroe* 7 p.m.

15 New Orleans* 1 p.m.

20 Troy* 7 p.m.

22 South Alabama* 1 p.m.

23 at Denver* 8 p.m.

27 Arkansas State* 7 p.m.

29 Arkansas-Little Rock* 1 p.m.

November

2 at New Orleans* 7 p.m.

3 at Louisiana-Lafayette* 7 p.m.

5 at Louisiana-Monroe* 1 p.m.

11 Denver* 7 p.m.

Sun Belt Conference Tournament

Denton