Hollins University

The 2012 Hollins volleyball team looked to build on the success of making the eight-team Old Dominion Athletic Conference tournament at the end of just their first season back in the ODAC last year. With only four returning players and a new head coach, a young Hollins squad faced an uphill battle after being picked to finish toward the bottom of the 12-team conference.

Coach Bill Shook’s first season began with an appearance in Averett University’s Cougar Classic. Hollins came out strong and earned a 2-2 split during the two-day event that included a win over ODAC rival Guilford College. After picking up a win in their own invitational tournament, Hollins started conference play and found the going to be tough. The young team competed and pushed several of their ODAC rivals deep into matches but wins were difficult to come by. Nevertheless, in the midst of a five-match ODAC losing streak in mid-October, Hollins enjoyed one of their best outings of the season with a big home win over Eastern Mennonite University.

Despite progress on the court, Hollins was unable to duplicate last season’s finish with a trip to the ODAC tournament. A young starting lineup that included a trio of sophomores and a pair of first-year players gained a tremendous amount of experience during the season. With only one player on the roster graduating, Hollins will look to take another step forward in their effort to rebuild the volleyball program into a perennial ODAC contender.

Highlights

• Ally Reed '13 - finished tenth in the ODAC with 2.80 kills per set and eighth in the league in digs per set with 3.56. Reed was named to the Hollins Invitational’s All-Tournament team and again later in the season at the Roanoke College Tournament. The senior from Sterling, Virginia, led the team with 302 kills and was second with 385 digs.
• Lauren Hays '15 - led the ODAC in service aces per set with .59. Her 59 aces were the second-most in the conference and she also finished second with .82 blocks per set. Lauren’s 25 solo blocks tied her for third in the ODAC while her 57 assisted blocks placed her fifth. The sophomore from Saginaw, Texas, was second on the team with 241 kills while she led Hollins in service aces and total blocks (82).
• Lela Moore '16 – finished in sixth in the ODAC with 6.75 assists per set, the most by any first-year player in the conference. Moore ranked third in the conference with 729 total assists. The Woodleaf, North Carolina, native led Hollins in assists and was second on the team with 39 service aces.

2011 Season Highlights » (PDF)