1981 MSU VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULESept. 18-19 at Southwest Missouri Quad

22 OLE MISS (dual) 7 p.m.25-26 at Kentucky Invitational29 ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM (dual) 7 p.m.

Oct. 2 at Missouri Invitational6 at Alabama—Birmingham (dual)9 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (dual)11 MISSISSIPPI STATE (dual) 2:30 p.m.16-17 MSU LADY TIGER INVITATIONAL (tba)23-24 at Tennessee Invitational30-31 at Ole Miss Invitational

Nov. 6 at Mississippi State (dual)11 at Ole Miss (dual)19-21 at Metro Conference Tournament

(Cincinnati, Ohio)Dec. 11-12 at NCAA Regional Championships

18-19 at NCAA National Championships

ALL HOME MEETS ARE HELD IN THE MSU FIELD HOUSE

COVER: An example of Lady Tiger Volleyball in 1981 as Amy Watson setsthe ball to fellow sophomore Holly Buford, who gets high offthe ground.

FINGERTIP FACTS ON MEMPHIS STATE UNIVERSITY

LOCATION: Memphis, Tennessee, 38152ENROLLMENT: 22,000NICKNAME: Lady TigersCOLORS: Blue and GreyFOUNDED: 1912PRESIDENT: Dr. Thomas CarpenterATHLETIC DIRECTOR: Bob PattersonASST. ATHLETIC DIRECTOR: Elma RoaneSPORT INFO. DIRECTOR: Bob WinnASSOC. S.I.D.: Mike FinnS.I.D.'s PHONE: (901) 454-2337VOLLEYBALL COACH: Diane HaleASST. VOLLYBALL COACH: Nancy

EsslingerVOLLEYBALL PHONE: (901) 454-2315HALE'S RECORD AT MSU: 102-56 (3 years)1980 RECORD: 41-17HOME ARENA: MSU Field HouseCAPACITY: 3,500

VOLLEYBALL '81

A NEW BEGINNING . . . FOR THE BETTERWith only one starter returning from last year's record breaking team, MSU coach

Diane Hole's preseason comments are sounding like Ronald Reagan's 1980 cam-paign slogan but with just a little different twist.

"It's definitely a new beginning, a beginning for the better," said Hale, who forthefirst time will have a squad made up entirely from her recruiting. "These girls havehad more experience at the high school level. They're technically ahead of previousfreshmen athletes and as a whole have to be more physically prepared for greaterchallenges.

"This squad can establish a bright future for themselves. They're playing muchtougher teams than they've faced before. When they win, they definitely will make areputation for themselves and Memphis State."

The superstar on this year's team should be 6-0 sophomore Holly Buford, a starterfrom last year's 41-17 squad, which won the state tournament and finished fourth atthe AIAW Region 2 Tournament. After a slow start in her first year of collegiate ball,Holly came on very strong at season's end with her aggressive defense and hitting,and was named to the all-tournament team at the state meet.

Other Lady Tigers who have a strong chance at filling a starting role includesophomores Amy Watson and Laura Wilson, and senior Linda Conner, while sopho-mores Beth Johnson and Kim Fraser have significantly improved and will provideconsistency for the team in the upcoming season.

Both the 5-4 Watson and 5-8 Wilson were important factors to the success of whatwas an all-seniorteam last year. Watson, whose enthusiastic personality helped MSUrally to several late victories last year, is considered to be Hole's top setter in 1981.Wilson, a walk-on last year from California, consistently came up with the bigdefensive plays in the backcourt.

Conner, a transfer last year from Ole Miss, will give Memphis State an explosivehitter at either side.

With basically a brand new team on the court this season, the four recruits signedby Hale also have a strong chance of seeing plenty of action.

Drenda Sue Roberts, from Ft. Wayne, Indiana, is a 5-7 southpaw with a verticaljump of 27 inches and maybe used as either a setter or hitter. Meanwhile, Lori PageJones, from Florence, Alabama, and Karen Fussell, from Miami, Florida, both will bejoining past teammates this year.

Jones, a 5-10 hitter, played next to Buford, when the pair led Bradshaw (Alabama)High School to the state crown in 1979, while Fussell, a 5-8 hitter, is a former team-mate of Fraser, when the two were at Sunset High School in Miami.

Mary Vercande, a junior college transfer, will give MSU even more depth at setting.With the Lady Tigers competing in the NCAA championships for the first time, they

will no longer compete in a state tournament, but instead must win an at-large bidto the NCAA Regionals in December.

One way of improving their chances for an NCAA bid would be a strong showingat this year's Metro Conference Championships, held in Cincinnati. The Metro hasshown its team are some of the toughest in the nation. Last yearfor example, FloridaState, Virginia Tech and St. Louis also made appearances in regional play.

At last year's inaugural Metro Volleyball tournament, the Lady Tigers finished third,but were the only team to defeat eventual champions St. Louis in round robin play.

1

Head Coach

Diane Hale

Entering just her fourth year as Memphis State's women's volleyballmentor, Diane Hale has already become the winningest coach inMSU history. Since taking over the helm in 1978, Diane has averaged34 wins per season and picked up her 100th career victory at lastyear's AIAW Region 2 Meet.

A 27-year-old native of Knoxville, Tennessee, Diane received herbachelor's degree in physical education in May of 1975 at the Univer-sity of Tennessee. As a Lady Volunteer, she played fouryears of intercol-legiate volleyball and competed at the AIAW nationals in both herfreshman and junior seasons.

Following her graduation, Diane took over the coaching duties atTennessee in 1975, while completing her master's degree in physicaleducation. From there, she moved north to Ames, Iowa, to coach theIowa State Cyclones in 1976 and 1977.

Volleyball keeps Diane extremely busy during the summer months.She is a member of the coaching staff at the United States VolleyballAssociation Olympic Development Camp, which is held each summerin Lamoni, Iowa.

Diane is also on the board of directors of the USVBA's Delta Regionand is presently the director of the Junior Olympic Developmentprogram for the Mid-South area.

Also during August, Diane and her assistant Nancy Esslinger hold acamp at Memphis State for both boys and girls, age 11-18.

Always looking to promote volleyball in this area, Diane's involve-ment with the USVBA has brought both the United States and Japa-nese Olympic teams to the MSU Field House the past two years forinternational matches.

MALE'S CAREER RECORD AT MSU MILESTONE VICTORIES FOR HALE

YEAR WON LOST PCT. 1st Mississippi U. for Women (9/22/78)1978 26 19 .578 25th Tennessee Tech (11/10/78)1979 35 20 .636 50th Missouri-Kansas City (8/20/79)1980 41 17 .707 75th Clemson (8/3/80)TOTAL 102 56 .646 100th North Carolina (11/20/80)

Assistant Coach

Nancy Esslinger

After spending the past two years as a graduate assistant, NancyEsslinger has become Memphis State'sfirst full-time assistant volleyballcoach this year.

Prior to her arrival at Memphis State, the 25-year-old Esslingerreceived her bachelor's degree in physical education at Ole Miss in1979. While at Ole Miss, Nancy played two seasons of volleyball andappeared both years (1977 and 1978) at the AIAW national cham-pionships. During her senior season, she served as a co-captain.

Before becoming a Lady Rebel, Nancy competed for two years atthe University of North Alabama in 1974 and 1975, then spent a yearteaching in Prague, Czechoslovakia in 1976.

A native of Florence, Alabama, Nancy began her affiliation withvolleyball atBradshawHigh School, which is considered a hot-bed oftalent in the south. Holly Buford, Linda Conner, and MSU recruit LindaPage Jones also competed for Bradshaw.

1980 WON-LOST RESULTS

Match Record: 41-17 Game Record: 100-55

MEMPHIS STATE beat OLE MISS 10-15.15-11,15-8,15-5MEMPHIS STATE beat North Alabama 15-13,15-5

@ MEMPHIS STATE beat Alabama-Brlmlngham 15-11,15-7@ MEMPHIS STATE beat Central Florida 15-15,15-8@ Texas Tech beat MEMPHIS STATE 15-13,15-6@ MEMPHIS STATE beat Florida State 15-12,15-8@ Alabama beat MEMPHIS STATE 15-8,15-2

MEMPHIS STATE beat U.T. Martin 15-5,15-13,10-15,15-5MEMPHIS STATE beat Mississippi State 7-15,15-4,15-10,15-9

* MEMPHIS STATE beat Louisville 16-14,6-15,15-8* MEMPHIS STATE beat St. Louis 12-15,15-10,15-8# MEMPHIS STATE beat Tulane 15-9,15-11# Florida State beat MEMPHIS STATE 15-8,15-9# MEMPHIS STATE beat Cincinnati 15-7,15-5# MEMPHIS STATE beat Virginia Tech 15-3,15-10* Florida State beat MEMPHIS STATE 10-15,15-10,15-10

MEMPHIS STATE beat Tennessee Tech 15-5,15-1,15-5Tennessee beat MEMPHIS STATE 15-9,12-15,14-16,15-11,15-11

$ MEMPHIS STATE beat Clemson 15-10,15-17,15-8$ MEMPHIS STATE beat Duke 15-10,15-12$ MEMPHIS STATE beat North Carolina State 16-14,10-15,16-14$ Kentucky beat MEMPHIS STATE 15-13,16-14$ South Carolina beat MEMPHIS STATE 15-8,10-15 15-12 mm-—$ North Carolina beat MEMPHIS STATE 15-9,15-7% MEMPHIS STATE beat Lake C.C. 15-715-2 ©Alabama Invitational (3rd)% Miami beat MEMPHIS STATE 15-11,15-8 * Metro Conference Tournament (3rd)% MEMPHIS STATE beat Flordla Southern 15-3 15-9 * South Carolina Invltatlonal(DNP)% North Carolina beat MEMPHIS STATE 15-10,15-11 % Florlda state Invitational (DNP)« MEMPHIS STATE beat Mississippi U. tor Women 15-3 15-6 * Memphis State Invitational (2nd)« MEMPHIS STATE beat Middle Tennessee State 15-2 15-13 * Southern Illinois Invitational (2nd)« MEMPHIS STATE beat Jefferson C.C. 15-9,15-12 * TCWSF state Tournament (1 st)* Ole Miss beat MEMPHIS STATE 8-15,16-14,15-13 r AIAW Region 2 Tournament (4th)

MEMPHIS STATE beat Mississippi State 15-8,15-8.15-6MEMPHIS STATE beat Arkansas State 15-5,16-14,15-13 ™"™••—

& MEMPHIS STATE beat Ball State 15-6,4-15.15-13& Western Michigan beat MEMPHIS STATE 11-15,15-8,15-6& MEMPHIS STATE beat Illinois-Chicago Circle 15-6,15-5& MEMPHIS STATE beat Southern Illinois 15-9,15-11& Kellogg C.C. beat MEMPHIS STATE 15-8,15-9& MEMPHIS STATE beat Ball State 15-10,15-11& Kellogg C.C. beat MEMPHIS STATE 9-15,15-6,16-14 15-4

MEMPHIS STATE beat Ole Miss 15-12,1-15,15-6,3-15,15-12MEMPHIS STATE beat Austin Peay 15-8,15-2MEMPHIS STATE beat U.T. Martin 15-2,15-8MEMPHIS STATE beat Arkansas State 15-9,15-8,15-11MEMPHIS STATE beat East Tennessee State 15-10,15-0MEMPHIS STATE beat Tennessee 4-15,15-6,15-12MEMPHIS STATE beat Tennessee Tech 15-11,15-2MEMPHIS STATE beat Middle Tennessee State 15-9,10-15,15-9MEMPHIS STATE beat U.T. Chattanooga 15-1,6-15,15-2Tennessee beat MEMPHIS STATE 15-13,10-15,15-11MEMPHIS STATE beat Tennessee 15-5,15-11

I- MEMPHIS STATE beat East Carolina 10-15,17-15,15-3\S STATE beat North Carolina 7-15.16-14,15-8I MEMPHIS STATE beat North Carolina State 15-9,14-16,15-13\S STATE beat Eastern Kentucky 7-15,15-9,15-4I- Kentucky beat MEMPHIS STATE 15-8, 7-15.15-5,16-14I Eastern Kentucky beat MEMPHIS STATE 15-4,14-16,15-13,15-8

1981 MEMPHIS STATE WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL ROSTER

NO. NAME POSITION5 'Holly Buford Hitter6 *Teri Clark Setter1 'Linda Conner Hitter

16 *Kim Fraser Hitter3 Karen Fussell Hitter

14 'Beth Johnson Hitter4 Lori Page Jones Hitter

10 Drenda Sue Roberts Hitter-Setter12 "Cindy Stoots Hitter

11 'Amy Watson Setter15 'Laura Wilson Hitter-Setter

AGE HT. YEAR

21 6-0 Sophomore19 5-5 Sophomore22 5-7 Senior19 5-10 Sophomore18 5-9 Freshman19 6-0 Sophomore18 5-10 Freshman18 5-7 Freshman20 5-9 Junior

19 5-4 Sophomore19 5-8 Sophomore

MaryVercande Hitter-Setter 20 5-10 Junior

* denotes year(s) experience as a Lady Tiger

HEAD COACH: Diane Hale (Tennessee, 1975)ASSISTANT COACH: Nancy Esslinger (Ole Miss, 1979)MANAGER: Lisa Earl

81-2191 (2101C2SP)

MAJORCommunicationsPublic RelationsSpecial EducationBusiness Admin.UndecidedPhysical EducationUndecidedSpecial EducationSpecial Education

Interior DesignBusiness

Recreation Admi.

HOMETOWN (HIGH SCHOOL)Florence, Ala (Bradshaw)Gainesville, Fla (Gainesville)Florence, Ala. (Bradshaw)Miami, Fla.(Sunset)Miami, Fla. (Sunset)Memphis, Tenn. (Briarcrest)Florence, Ala. (Bradshaw)H.Wayne, Ind. (Paul Harding)Memphis, Tenn. (Evangelical

Christian)Galloway, Ohio (Westland)Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

(Rolling Hills)Garden City, Mich.

(School Craft)

NUMERICAL ORDER1. Linda Conner2. MaryVercande3. Karen Fussell4. Lori Page Jones5. Holly Buford6. Teri Clark

10. Drenda Sue Roberts11. Amy Watson12. Cindy Stoots14. Beth Johnson15. Laura Wilson16. Kim Fraser

RETURNING PLAYERS

#5 HOLLY BUFORD6-O...Hitter...Sophomore...Florence,AJa.

Should give the Lady Tigers an awesome threat...known for her explosive straight-down attacks...almostimpossible to penetrate*as a blacker...came throughwith some incredible saves in the backcourt last year,especially in the state tournament...all-tournamentselection at the state meet...won two state champion-ships in high school and served as team captain hersenior year...BORN May 15,1960

#6 TERI CLARK5-5...Setter...Sophomore... Gainesville, Fla.

Excellent at making good sets off bad passes...picked up plenty of confidence last year in a reserverole...has shown she can handle the pressure ofcompetition...all-state and team captain her senioryear in high school...BORN March 30,1962

#1 LINDA CONNER5-7...Hitter...Senior-Florence, Ala.

Concentrates on defense and hitting...both anexplosive and aggressive player..type of player whomakes things happen...transferred last year from OleMiss, where she was named to the all-state team herfreshman year...high school team won three statechampionships...BORN February 23,1959

#16 KIM FRASER5-10...Hitter...Sophomore...Miami, Fla.

A consistent all-around player...major role to theLady Tigers is blocking...also doesa very good job in thebackcourt...both an All-City and All-State selection hersenior year in high school...BORN June 19,1962

RETURNING PLAYERS

#14 BETH JOHNSON6-0 ...Hitter...Sophomore...Memphis, Tenn.

Selected as the most improved player on last year'steam by coach Hale...comes through when othersmay be having an off game...always plays at a con-sistent height of intensity...considered an excellentpasser...BORN April 16,1962

#12 CINDY STOOTS5-9...Hitter..Junior...Memphis, Tenn.

Excellent on defense, especially in the backcourt...asa hitter, she uses the blockers well for providing anoffensive edge...good at getting the ball above theblockers...always seems to be at the right place at theright time...served as team captain her senior year inhigh school where she also competed in basketball,track and cross country...BORN October 30,1961

#11 AMY WATSON5-4...Setter...Sophomore...Galloway, Ohio.

Should begin the season as Memphis State's topsetter...good hands...makes good decisions asa leaderon the court...despite being only 5-4, Amy is consideredan excellent blacker due to her timing and leapingability...has excellent timing and position on the courtin relationship to opponent's hitter...captain of highschool team during her senior season...BORN March 3,1962

#15 LAURA WILSON5-8...Hitter-Setter...Sophomore...Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif.

Considered the best all-around player on the team...best passer on the squad...started last year as theteam's #1 setter, but was later utilized for her servereception...has excellent awareness on the court...withher California background, Laura has faced some ofthe best competition in the nation...served as teamcaptain her senior year of high schooL.BORN December9,1961

NEWCOMERS#3 KAREN FUSSELL5-9...Hitter...Freshman...Miami, Fla.

Played with MSU's Kim Fraser in high school...strong aggressive player with majorrole as a middle hitter...also effective on outside, but may see more action in themiddle...intimidating to opponents' middle blocker...helped lead Sunset HighSchool to the state championship last season and was selected to the All-DadeCounty team...BORN September 8,1963

#4 LORI PAGE JONES5-10...Hitter...Freshman...Florence, Ala.

Played with Holly Buford during high school career... both women may playside-to-side this year...good blocker, especially off a strong hitter..relaxed on court,excellent team player.joined Buford on Bradshaw's state high school champion-ship team in 1979...BORN December 10,1962

#10 DRENDA SUE ROBERTS5-7...Hitter-Setter...Freshman...Ft. Wayne, Ind.

Should challenge Watson as the Lady Tigers' #1 setter..has a vertical jump of 27inches which would be the best on the 1981 team...only left-handed hitter on theMSU team... most versatile of the recruits signed...has experience in all three phases-hitting, setting and blocking...earned all state honors in high school...BORNNovember 27,1962

#2MARYVERCANDE5-8...Setter.Junior...Garden City, Mich.

Mary comes to Memphis State after a highly successful two-year career atSchoolcraft J.C., which finished 2nd in the Michigan, Indiana, Ohio regional lastyear... named to both the all-region and all-state teams last year..most valuableplayer during her final two years in high school...BORN August 23,1961

8

MEMPHIS STATE vs. OPPONENTS SINCE 1971

Team W L Team W L Team W L

AlabamaAla-BirminghamArkansas StateAuburnAustin PeayBall StateBerry CollegeCarson-NewmanCarthage CollegeCent. ArkansasCent. FloridaCent. MissouriCharleston, Col.Christian Bros.CincinnatiClemsonCoker CollegeColumbus CollegeDanville J.C.DukeEast CarolinaEast TennesseeEastern KentuckyEast. MennoniteEastern MichiganFiskFlagler CollegeFlorence StateFlorida Inter.Florida So.Florida StateFrancis MarionFreed HardemanGeorgiaGraceland Col.Henderson State

0180

101031130111112121521020102111111

603201110021001000000550101010500000

WON -LOST RECORDS

SINCE 1971

Hinds J.C.HoustonIllinois-ChicagoIllinois StateJackson StateJacksonvilleJefferson C.C.Kansas StateKearney StateKellogg C.C.KentuckyKentucky StateLake C.C.LambuthLangler CollegeLouisiana StateLouisvilleMadison CollegeMars HillMemphis VolleyMiamiMiami Dade C.C.Mid. TennesseeMilliganMillingtonMississippiMississippi Col.Mississippi St.Miss. U/WomenMissouriMissouri-K.C.Morehead StateMurray StateNew OrleansNichols StateNorth Alabama

YEAR

1971197219731974197519761977197819791980

1 0 North Carolina 1 30 1 North Carol. St. 2 11 1 North Georgia 0 10 2 Northern Illinois 1 12 0 Northern Iowa 1 01 0 Northern Kentucky 0 23 0 N.E. Illinois 1 00 2 Oklahoma 0 10 1 Peabody 4 00 2 Purdue 0 10 2 South Carolina 0 11 0 S.E. Missouri St. 4 01 0 Southern Illinois 5 38 1 Southwest Baptist 2 01 0 S.W. Missouri St. 0 10 1 Southwestern 11 02 0 S.W.Louisiana 1 11 1 St. Louis 1 01 0 Tennessee 6 151 0 Tennessee Tech 7 60 2 Texas 0 11 0 Texas A&M 0 1

19 1 Texas Southern 0 11 0 Texas Tech 0 23 0 Troy State 2 05 11 Tulane 2 31 0 Union 1 06 1 U.T. Chattanooga 5 16 6 U.T.Martin 20 42 0 Virginia Tech 1 01 0 West Carolina 1 01 1 Western Illinois 0 15 1 Western Michigan 0 22 1 Wichita State 0 11 0 Winthrop College 1 33 0

COACH RECORDS

Jane Hooker 17- 5Jane Hooker 20- 9Janice Dunn 18- 7Janice Dunn 13- 7Janice Dunn 15- 16Janice Dunn 12- 23Janice Dunn 23- 11Diane Hale 26- 19Diane Hale 35- 20Diane Hale 41-17

TOTAL 220-134

1981 MSU Volleyball ScheduleSept. 18-19 at Southwest Missouri Quad

22 OLE MISS (dual) 7 p.m.25-26 at Kentucky Invitational29 ALABAMA-BIRMINGHAM (dual) 7 p.m.

Oct 2 at Missouri Invitational6 at Alabama—Birmingham (dual)9 SOUTHERN ILLINOIS (dual)11 MISSISSIPPI STATE (dual) 2:30 p.m.16-17 MSU LADY TIGER INVITATIONAL (tba)23-24 at Tennessee Invitational30-31 at Ole Miss Invitational

Nov. 6 at Mississippi State (dual)11 at Ole Miss (dual)19-21 at Metro Conference Tournament

(Cincinnati, Ohio)Dec. 11-12 at NCAA Regional Championships

18-19 at NCAA National ChampionshipsAll HOME MEETS HELD IN THE MSU FIELD HOUSE