HOBBS, NM---The Lady Mustang Volleyball program kicks off their 2021 spring schedule on Friday afternoon as they travel to Plainview, TX to take on Wayland Baptist University and Lubbock Christian University. USW will play these two matches before taking a break in preparation for their 3+ week road trip to Sky Ranch to compete in the rest of their non-conference and Red River Athletic Conference schedules. The Lady Mustangs are led by first year Head Coach
Julia Krebs, who is taking over a program who went 12-20 last season and has several key returners back on the court.
COVID-19 left many universities and sports having to adjust their schedules to follow safety protocols. Unlike a normal year, the volleyball season this year will be played in the spring semester with the next season starting this upcoming August. It was a unique opportunity for Coach Krebs and her players to have an entire fall semester to practice and get to know each other as a team. "It's been a change up for us and different than any other year. We took it as a positive thing. In a normal year, we have about two weeks to prepare for fall season with two-a-days and even three-a-days. We were able to spread that out over months which was really good for the girls. I took it as a positive, being able to reprogram the girls and put in my systems. We wanted to take advantage of this fall season" said first year Head Coach
Julia Krebs.
Looking Back on 2019
The Lady Mustangs last took the court on November 8, 2019 when they were eliminated in the semi-final of the RRAC tournament, losing to eventual champion Huston-Tillotson. The Lady Mustangs finished with a 12-20 record overall and 7-5 in conference play which put them 4th in the conference standings. Despite a rocky start to the season, USW finished up by winning 7 out of their final 9 matches.
New Year, New Coach
Head Coach
Julia Krebs is the 4th coach in the last 4 seasons at USW, but has already begun laying the groundwork for a strong foundation and future for USW Volleyball. Krebs came to USW in the late spring of 2020 after previously serving as a Graduate Assistant Coach at Avila University and an Assistant Coach at Missouri Valley College for the Men's Volleyball program. Although it is her first year as a Head Coach, Krebs knows how important it is for her to start creating her culture and standards to build a strong and successful program. "Academics were the first priority for me to address with the team. We want to set the bar high for ourselves and I believe that it starts in the classroom. I next wanted the team to become a family and be able to hold each other accountable. That's something I preach in practice. The answer doesn't always have to come from the head coach. They need to be able to help each other out and be able to trust one another. Lastly is just being a good person. Being able to understand what's going on in the world and how we need to take it. I really stress mental health and making sure they're okay and they can help each other out with those things." said Krebs on what Lady Mustang volleyball stands for.
Key Returners
- Dylann Bylund--SR--Colorado Springs, CO
- 32 games played--101 kills--536 assists--15 aces--222 digs--39 blocks
- Taylor Hardison--SR--Hobbs, NM
- 29 games played--78 kills--15 aces--78 digs--22 blocks
- Autumn Lopez--JR--San Antonio, TX
- 29 games played--36 assists--24 aces--227 digs
- Alexia Esparza--SO--El Paso, TX
- 32 games played--225 kills--23 aces--241 digs--16 blocks
- Sarah Marquez--SO--El Paso, TX
- 29 games--253 assists--38 aces--180 digs
- Samantha Dreibelbis--SO--Kileen, TX
- 25 games played--73 kills--15 aces--136 digs--16 blocks
The Lady Mustangs return 7 players including two players who earned RRAC All-Conference first team selections:
Dylann Bylund and
Alexia Esparza. Head Coach
Julia Krebs is going to rely on not only these two, but several other returners this season to carry the load.
"
Dylann Bylund is a great all-around athlete on the court and great person. She's been a great leader for us taking on different roles in the fall. She can play multiple positions and I think she's going to have a great season.
Autumn Lopez is our fireball on the court. She brings the energy while maintaining a calmness on the court. We want her out there as much as possible" said Head Coach
Julia Krebs on her two veterans on the court.
USW also brings back three sophomores who each played in over two-thirds of the sets from last season:
Alexia Esparza,
Sarah Marquez and
Samantha Dreibelbis. "It helps out a lot to get that much playing time so young. Having them have the knowledge of the game and know the speed of the game is going to help out tremendously." said Krebs on her sophomore trio.
Fresh Faces
"
Glenys Maldonado is a 6-rotation outside. She has a great knowledge of the game and has a high volleyball IQ. We expect great things from her. As a freshman, she steps on the court and she has a presence. Kennedy is a great passer. Her and
Autumn Lopez are going to battle all year. They bounce off of each other and make each other better. She's a great leader on the court and brings a great athleticism to the game" said Krebs on the new Lady Mustangs.
USW starts their season Friday February 12th as they compete in a tri-match versus Wayland Baptist and Lubbock Christian. Both matches will be streamed via Wayland Baptist website. Links for video and stats will be available on the schedule, Twitter and Facebook.
