Mississippi College Camp Boosts Girls Volleyball

When 15 girls from area schools showed up for the first day of summer volleyball camp at Mississippi College, Lady Choctaws Head Coach Peter Cosmiano says the turnout reflects a sport that’s on the rise in the Magnolia State.

Today, 87 high schools in Mississippi field girls volleyball teams. That’s up from the 20 or so teams that played the sport in 1995 with Horn Lake crowned as the state’s first champion. They compete in three classes, including big schools like Madison-Central and Clinton High and small schools such as Aberdeen.

“We’re really excited that some of the private high schools decided to pick up volleyball. There’s good competition in the metro Jackson area,” Cosmiano said.

Brianna Hawthorne, 13, a student at Clinton Junior High, was among the players stepping up their game at MC’s basic skills camp taught by Cosmiano in mid-June.

“I enjoyed the different kinds of drills that Coach Cosmiano showed the girls, but liked the enthusiasm about the camp the most,” Hawthorne said. “I love all the different challenges it brings to the court. It’s a team sport and it takes every girl on the court to score.”

Players from such teams as Pearl High, Northwest Rankin, and St. Andrew’s Episcopal School also learned how to set up the offense, spike the ball and play good defense at the MC camp at the Baptist Healthplex.

Starting her second season on the Clinton Junior High team in August, Hawthorne and her parents are hoping the sport leads to a college scholarship. “It’s what she loves doing,” says her mother, Tonya Hawthorne, a Mississippi College human resources department staff member.

Next up for volleyball players, Mississippi College hosts a hitter’s camp June 27-29 with participants coming from Tupelo, Memphis, Birmingham, Louisiana and the Jackson area. An MC team camp in late July rounds out the summer volleyball season.

Hannah Kanengiser, 14, a first-year volleyball player at Pearl High, says the June 13-15 camp helped her get ready for the start of summer practice on July 5. Coached by Deanna Klein, Pearl’s team begins its 2011 season in August and the Pirates take on teams like Brandon, Northwest Rankin, Germantown, Lanier and Wingfield High. “This camp was a great experience and put me in contact with several other girls playing the sport,” the incoming ninth-grader added.

Today, about 20 to 25 percent of the state’s high schools field volleyball teams, says Ennis Proctor, executive director of the Clinton-based Mississippi High School Activities Association. “Volleyball is growing every year although some have dropped it due to the financial situation,” he said. “It’s a growing sport nationwide.”

Cosmiano says the sport is seeing interest climb on college campuses in Mississippi. Schools like MC, Millsaps College, Tougaloo College and Belhaven University are home to women’s volleyball teams in metro Jackson. Around the state, the University of Southern Mississippi and the University of Mississippi field women’s volleyball teams. The half-dozen in-state colleges will produce future volleyball coaches, and that, he said, is going to lead to more high schools playing the sport.

Winning four consecutive NCAA women’s national championships, Penn State has set the gold standard for collegiate volleyball from 2007 through 2011 with a record of 142-7 under head coach Russ Rose. At home contests, thousands of fans regularly jam the stands to cheer on the Nittany Lions on the University Park campus.

While it’s not nearly reached that excitement level at Mississippi schools and cannot compete with Friday night football, Cosmiano says the sport’s future looks bright. It also is another opportunity for players to win college scholarships.

The Clinton resident took the helm of the MC volleyball program in 2005 after a half-dozen seasons as the Millsaps head coach. Cosmiano was instrumental in forming a men’s volleyball team at Union University in Jackson, Tennessee and served as a player/coach until he graduated in 1993. He serves on the NCAA Volleyball Ranking Committee for the South Region and with other volleyball organizations around the nation.

With a new academic year approaching, the Mississippi College coach is pumped about the Lady Choctaws’ 2011 season. He encourages fans to see the MC volleyball squad at their home opener September 13 with a match against East Texas Baptist. The contest starts at 6 p.m. at the A.E. Wood Coliseum.

For more information on volleyball, contact Coach Peter Cosmiano at 601.925.3357 or cosmiano@mc.edu.