Morrison Era Begins with Spring Slate of Matches
Mar 02, 2023 | Volleyball
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – The Jamie Morrison era of Texas A&M volleyball begins this spring with four dates set for competition, the first slated for Friday, March 3, versus Rice in the volleyball practice gym with first serve set for 3 p.m.
The Texas A&M volleyball team is under new leadership in head coach Jamie Morrison. He brings a depth and variety of experience with him to the A&M volleyball program, most notably being a part of three Olympic medal-winning teams with USA Volleyball from 2008-2016. Morrison wanted a new challenge, leading him to take the head coaching position for the Netherlands women's volleyball team. Serving a two-year stint with the team, he helped the squad secure a silver medal at the 2017 European Championships. Returning to Team USA, he took command of the Under 19 women's national team, leading the team to a gold medal performance at the 2022 U19 Girls Pan American Cup. Most recently before joining the Aggies, Morrison served as the Director of Sports Performance for League One Volleyball, which is a professional league slated to start in 2024.
"I couldn't be more excited to put our team on the floor in front of the 12th Man," said head coach Jamie Morrison. "We intentionally scheduled an early match to see where we are and what to work on. I expect to see pieces of who we will be at this point; a team that plays with an edge, makes good plays for long periods of time and takes risks. I truly believe that you have to create a weapon before you learn how to use it, so my expectation is that we are making aggressive errors as attackers and servers, and learning how to control those skills later in the spring.
"Above all, I can't wait to compete. We are here to put in the work in the practice gym so that we can show the world who we are on the competition court."
Alongside Morrison is an all-star staff bringing a diverse background in the sport of volleyball to Aggieland. The hiring of two associate head coaches in Lindsey Gray-Walton and Jen Woods was the first step to developing his staff. Gray-Walton came to Aggieland from Norman, Oklahoma, where she most recently served as the head coach for the Sooners. Her collegiate coaching experience, paired with her incredible recruiting reputation made her a knockout hire for the Maroon & White. Texas A&M volleyball alum Woods returns to the program with sights set on getting the Aggies back to the forefront of the SEC. Most recently, Woods was working alongside Morrison with League One Volleyball, after founding and developing Houston Skyline Volleyball, a now perennial top 10 club in the country. Morrison retained technical coordinator Evan Antal who worked with the Aggies last season, and he will continue in the role with the Maroon & White moving forward. Rounding out the staff is Ashlie Reasor, another former standout for A&M's volleyball program who will serve as the director of volleyball operations. Reasor held this position at the University of Michigan before making the decision to return to Aggieland.
"We have a great opportunity to showcase the work that's been put in by our team," said associate head coach Lindsey Gray-Walton. "The experience we want to create is one that's emotionally engaging for both our athletes to be a part of and the 12th Man to support. It's pivotal to our success as a program and we look forward to opening the doors for this first look against Rice."
"We are looking forward to seeing our team compete this Friday," added fellow associate head coach Jen Woods. "We've been focusing on foundational aspects that we've seen a lot of growth in, and we are eager to see the translation into a competitive match environment against someone besides ourselves. This will be a great opportunity for us to see what progress we've made and areas we need to devote more time to."
The Aggies return pivotal parts of their team for the 2023 campaign. Caroline Meuth will take the court for A&M in her fifth season after leading the way offensively last season in total kills and service aces. Ava Underwood looks to take the next leap in her development following her impressive freshman campaign, when she ranked third in conference play among freshmen in both digs and digs per set. Meuth and Underwood recently visited Colorado for Team USA tryouts, a great opportunity for the pair to get experience with national team contenders.
There are also four fresh faces on the team for the spring semester, including three early enrollees from the 2023 signing class and one transfer. A&M added Brynn Covell a setter from Raleigh, North Carolina, Bianna Muoneke an outside hitter from Cypress, Texas, and Alayna Pearson a libero from Overland Park, Kansas. Joining the Aggies from the transfer portal was Morgan Perkins, a freshman middle blocker from the Oklahoma Sooners. The dynamic middle has experience working with coach Gray-Walton and aims to make an instant impact for the Maroon & White.
SPRING SCHEDULE
- Texas A&M vs. Rice - March 3 - 3 p.m. - Texas A&M volleyball practice gym
- Texas A&M at FAST Collegiate Tournament - April 1 - AST Complex, Houston, Texas
- Texas A&M at Baylor - April 15, time TBD - Waco, Texas
- Texas A&M at Sam Houston State, vs. Houston Christian - April 22, time TBD - Huntsville, Texas
FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M volleyball team on Facebook, Instagram and on Twitter by following @AggieVolleyball.
The Texas A&M volleyball team is under new leadership in head coach Jamie Morrison. He brings a depth and variety of experience with him to the A&M volleyball program, most notably being a part of three Olympic medal-winning teams with USA Volleyball from 2008-2016. Morrison wanted a new challenge, leading him to take the head coaching position for the Netherlands women's volleyball team. Serving a two-year stint with the team, he helped the squad secure a silver medal at the 2017 European Championships. Returning to Team USA, he took command of the Under 19 women's national team, leading the team to a gold medal performance at the 2022 U19 Girls Pan American Cup. Most recently before joining the Aggies, Morrison served as the Director of Sports Performance for League One Volleyball, which is a professional league slated to start in 2024.
"I couldn't be more excited to put our team on the floor in front of the 12th Man," said head coach Jamie Morrison. "We intentionally scheduled an early match to see where we are and what to work on. I expect to see pieces of who we will be at this point; a team that plays with an edge, makes good plays for long periods of time and takes risks. I truly believe that you have to create a weapon before you learn how to use it, so my expectation is that we are making aggressive errors as attackers and servers, and learning how to control those skills later in the spring.
"Above all, I can't wait to compete. We are here to put in the work in the practice gym so that we can show the world who we are on the competition court."
Alongside Morrison is an all-star staff bringing a diverse background in the sport of volleyball to Aggieland. The hiring of two associate head coaches in Lindsey Gray-Walton and Jen Woods was the first step to developing his staff. Gray-Walton came to Aggieland from Norman, Oklahoma, where she most recently served as the head coach for the Sooners. Her collegiate coaching experience, paired with her incredible recruiting reputation made her a knockout hire for the Maroon & White. Texas A&M volleyball alum Woods returns to the program with sights set on getting the Aggies back to the forefront of the SEC. Most recently, Woods was working alongside Morrison with League One Volleyball, after founding and developing Houston Skyline Volleyball, a now perennial top 10 club in the country. Morrison retained technical coordinator Evan Antal who worked with the Aggies last season, and he will continue in the role with the Maroon & White moving forward. Rounding out the staff is Ashlie Reasor, another former standout for A&M's volleyball program who will serve as the director of volleyball operations. Reasor held this position at the University of Michigan before making the decision to return to Aggieland.
"We have a great opportunity to showcase the work that's been put in by our team," said associate head coach Lindsey Gray-Walton. "The experience we want to create is one that's emotionally engaging for both our athletes to be a part of and the 12th Man to support. It's pivotal to our success as a program and we look forward to opening the doors for this first look against Rice."
"We are looking forward to seeing our team compete this Friday," added fellow associate head coach Jen Woods. "We've been focusing on foundational aspects that we've seen a lot of growth in, and we are eager to see the translation into a competitive match environment against someone besides ourselves. This will be a great opportunity for us to see what progress we've made and areas we need to devote more time to."
The Aggies return pivotal parts of their team for the 2023 campaign. Caroline Meuth will take the court for A&M in her fifth season after leading the way offensively last season in total kills and service aces. Ava Underwood looks to take the next leap in her development following her impressive freshman campaign, when she ranked third in conference play among freshmen in both digs and digs per set. Meuth and Underwood recently visited Colorado for Team USA tryouts, a great opportunity for the pair to get experience with national team contenders.
There are also four fresh faces on the team for the spring semester, including three early enrollees from the 2023 signing class and one transfer. A&M added Brynn Covell a setter from Raleigh, North Carolina, Bianna Muoneke an outside hitter from Cypress, Texas, and Alayna Pearson a libero from Overland Park, Kansas. Joining the Aggies from the transfer portal was Morgan Perkins, a freshman middle blocker from the Oklahoma Sooners. The dynamic middle has experience working with coach Gray-Walton and aims to make an instant impact for the Maroon & White.
SPRING SCHEDULE
- Texas A&M vs. Rice - March 3 - 3 p.m. - Texas A&M volleyball practice gym
- Texas A&M at FAST Collegiate Tournament - April 1 - AST Complex, Houston, Texas
- Texas A&M at Baylor - April 15, time TBD - Waco, Texas
- Texas A&M at Sam Houston State, vs. Houston Christian - April 22, time TBD - Huntsville, Texas
FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thMan.com for more information on Texas A&M volleyball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M volleyball team on Facebook, Instagram and on Twitter by following @AggieVolleyball.
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