The following is the first in a series of stories surrounding the University of New Orleans's entrance into the Southland Conference. Over the next several weeks, stories will feature introductions to the Southland in a particular sport while also sharing UNO's history in the sport.
The Privateers will become an official member of the Southland Conference on July 1, 2013. The 2013-14 academic year is one of change for the Southland, which will also welcome Abilene Christian, Houston Baptist and Incarnate Word as it becomes a 14-member league.
Southland Conference Volleyball – Historically Speaking
The Southland Conference has contested volleyball since 1982 when the league's membership consisted of Arkansas State, Lamar, McNeese State, Northeast Louisiana, Southwestern Louisiana and Texas-Arlington.
During the league's early existence, UT-Arlington was the standard bearer, advancing to the NCAA Tournament as the league's tournament champion for a six-year stretch that started in 1985 and continued through 1990.
The Mavericks won the very first of their seven postseason matches as a Southland member institution with a 3-1 win over Southwest Texas State in 1986.
UT-Arlington's run of success included a trio of wins en route to the 1989 NCAA Final Four in Honolulu, Hawaii. During the Mavericks' road to the Final Four, they defeated North Carolina, LSU and Texas before falling to Long Beach State.
Following UT-Arlington's 1989 win, it would take until a 2006 win by Stephen F. Austin over Alabama to deliver the Southland another victory in the NCAAs.
Over the years, the Southland has produced its fair share of defensive stalwarts. Southeastern Louisiana's Sarah Gascon led NCAA Division I in digs in 2002 (6.42 digs per set) and 2003 (6.66 digs per set) while Stephen F. Austin's Stephanie Figgers tallied 2,598 digs during her career as a Lumberjack from 2003-06 to rank No. 7 all-time at the NCAA Division I level in the category.
Southland Conference Volleyball – The 2012 Season
At the end of the 2012 season, Central Arkansas and Sam Houston State sat atop the league standings with matching 15-3 records.
UCA was 30-5 overall on the season and by virtue of defending their home court advantage in the Southland Conference tournament, was able to earn the league's automatic bid into the NCAA tournament, where the squad fell to No. 13 Washington.
SHSU finished the campaign 15-3 and was led by Player of the Year Deveny Wells-Gibson, who will be amongst the top Southland returnees in 2013. The Bearkats' Brenda Gray was Coach of the Year as the squad won a share of its first regular season title under the long-time head coach since 1994.
The league's success out of conference included an 8-3 record against foes from the Western Athletic Conference and a 7-3 mark versus Conference USA.
Other notable wins included positive results over the Big 10's Indiana (by SFA) and the Big 12's Texas Tech (by UCA).
New Orleans Privateer Volleyball – Historically Speaking
UNO first competed in volleyball in 1975 as members of the Louisiana Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women.
The team's first season as an NCAA Division I member came in 1982 with the Privateers later joining the American South Conference in 1987. That same year, Maureen Marek's squad hoisted the league's East Division championship before falling short to Lamar in the conference tournament championship match.
UNO joined the Sun Belt Conference in 1991 and finished its run in the conference with a West Division championship under the direction of then-head coach Jozsef Forman (now at Coastal Carolina). Forman's 2009 squad featured current Privateer assistant Nicky Valenti, who ranks No. 2 all-time in school history for career digs.
The 1987 and 2009 divisional champion teams are the only two to claim a championship in the program's history. UNO finished as tournament runner-up in the American South in both 1987 and 1990 while reaching the Sun Belt conference title match in both 2000 and 2008.
Over the years, the program's most prolific player is Javonne Brooks, who was selected in 2005 as the Sun Belt Conference's All-Time Greatest Player. Brooks is also enshrined in the New Orleans Sports Hall of Fame and in recent years has been added to the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame ballot as a potential nominee.
The only UNO volleyball player to have their number retired (#16), Brooks set the NCAA all-time record for kills with 2,932 during her career to surpass Long Beach State standout Tara Cross (2,767). Brooks' mark would later fall to No. 2 behind Svetlana Vtyurina of George Washington in 1995, who presently is the NCAA's all-time leader with 3,043 kills
Other NCAA marks for the Privateers include Marlene Melancon's 14 service aces in a five-set match accomplished against Southeastern Louisiana on Sept. 20, 1983 and Jennifer Cruz's perfect 10-for-10 hitting performance versus Southern on Oct. 26, 2004. Cruz is one of just over 20 players to hit perfectly in a single match.
The 2013 Season – UNO's First in the Southland
Kim Young-Buford will begin her fourth season of the UNO program. A member of the Grambling Sports Hall of Fame, Young-Buford is 154-128 in nine years as a Division I head coach, which includes a 20-46 mark at the helm of the Privateers.
Last season, a young UNO squad posted an 8-15 record. The program's season featured a tournament title at Texas Southern, the first tournament championship for the Privateers since 2009.
A balanced offensive team, UNO had four different players average at least two kills per set - the first time in recent memory for the Privateer program.
Top returnees on the UNO roster include outside hitter
Taylor Berry, libero
Lauren Levy and setter
Ariane Labrzycki. Labryzcki is one the three seniors on the squad along with
Nandi Brown and
Marti Richmiller. A total of seven newcomers dot the roster including 2012 Great West Conference 'Newcomer of the Year'
Alyssa Podwell, a transfer from Chicago State
The Privateers will contest an 18-match Southland Conference schedule which will include nine matches at the Human Performance Center, plus nine contests at away sites.
The scheduling format for volleyball will be similar to men's and women's basketball.
Conference matches with the exception of tilts against travel partner Southeastern Louisiana will occur on Thursday nights and Saturday afternoons. Tentatively, all UNO home matches during conference play will begin at 7 p.m. on Thursday with Saturday matinees slated for 2 p.m.
A full schedule will be announced soon. The Southland Conference tournament is slated to take place Nov. 22-24 in Corpus Christi, Texas. The top eight teams at the end of the Southland campaign will advance to the tournament which awards an NCAA automatic bid to the winner.
