Kansas will start the regular season this weekend in the Middle Tennessee Invitational. They will face Middle Tennessee State University Friday and Xavier and Murray State Universities on Saturday.

Middle Tennessee State is coming off a 27-8 record and went to the second round of the NCAA Volleyball Tournament last season. MTSU is also returning five starters, plus their libero. Xavier and Murray State both had winning seasons last year and are both returning most of their starters.

Coach Ray Bechard said he believes that the difficulty of the nonconference schedule is just what the team needs to get an upper Big 12 Conference finish and ultimately a NCAA tournament berth.

Kansas is coming off a disappointing 13-16 season in 2008 and its third-straight losing season, but it is returning five players and its libero. Many of the players said they felt that this season would be different.

Senior defensive specialist/libero Melissa Grieb said that the team has really come together and is meshing very well so far this season. She said she felt that there is more of a sense of leadership this season from previous seasons.

“I definitely feel way more prepared than last year,” Grieb said. “It seems that we are in a better place than we were last year.”

Freshman middle blocker Tayler Tolefree said she was both nervous and excited for her first collegiate matches. Tolefree has been highly touted by her coaches and her teammates and is expected to make an impact this season.

“I expect us to go out and play hard in every game, and no matter what happens in one game, we move on and make improvements and changes,” Tolefree said.

Junior outside hitter Karina Garlington also said she thought the team was looking good and ready for the season. She said that it was important for the team to get off to a good start.

“We’re going to play three really spectacular teams, probably three teams that are going to be in the NCAA tournament,” Garlington said. “It’s important to come out strong and show how hard we’ve been working because it’s going to set the mindset for the next couple of weeks.”

According to the players and Coach Bechard, an air of confidence now surrounds the entire team, and they feel right now they can defeat anyone.

“We’re just going to push it, and the sky is the limit for us,” said Garlington.