ROCK HILL, S.C. – With the regular-season opener three days away, the Anderson University volleyball team captured one first-place vote and has been predicted to finish third in the conference in a vote by the league's coaches. Sophomore Emily Conlin and the senior trio of Rachel Burts, Marissa Mitter and Serena Jackson have also earned Preseason All-South Atlantic Conference honors, as announced by the conference office Tuesday morning.
After finishing fifth in the league standings last season and bowing out of the SAC Tournament with a 3-1 quarterfinal setback to No. 4-seeded Queens in Charlotte, this year's prediction marks the highest spot in the preseason poll for the Black and Gold since the 2014 NCAA-bound squad was tabbed to finish fourth in the conference. The poll also marks the first time since joining the league in 2010 that the Trojans have collected a first-place vote.
The preseason first- and second- teams were also announced, with the Trojans leading the way with three players on the first team, followed by Lenoir-Rhyne with two players on the first team. Wingate, Lincoln Memorial and Tusculum rounded out the first team with one selection each. Burts, Conlin and Mitter captured first-team recognition, while Jackson garnered second-team honors.
After winning the SAC Tournament and being one of three teams to represent the league in the 2016 NCAA Volleyball Championship, Wingate was picked to win its 12th consecutive regular-season title after picking up 10 first-place votes and 100 points from the coaches' panel. The Bulldogs finished 29-6 last season after advancing to the NCAA Southeast Regional for the 12th straight year with the league's automatic bid.
Lincoln Memorial finished second in the poll with 81 points, followed by Anderson with 76 points. LMU closed out the 2016 campaign at 25-9 overall and 17-5 in the SAC. The Railsplitters advanced to the 2016 SAC Volleyball Championship finals and were an at-large selection to the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship in 2016.
Queens came in at No. 4 in the preseason poll with 75 points, just behind the Trojans. The Royals closed out their 2016 season with a 22-10 overall record, including a 16-6 record against SAC foes. Queens earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Volleyball Championship where it made a historic run to the Southeast Region Finals.
At No. 5 in the poll was Lenoir-Rhyne with 65 points, ahead of Newberry, which collected 61 points. The Bears were 12-18 overall last season and were 10-12 in SAC play. The Wolves put up a 20-12 overall record in 2016 to go along with a 16-6 record in the League. Tusculum recorded 49 points to land at No. 7 in the poll, ahead of Catawba at No. 8 with 35 points. The Pioneers closed out their 2016 season with a 12-19 overall record and a mark of 7-15 in League action. The Catawba Indians notched a 16-13 overall record and a 13-9 SAC record a season ago.
Carson-Newman finished at No. 9 in the poll with 28 points, while Mars Hill (22 points) and Coker (11 points) rounded out the 2017 South Atlantic Conference Preseason Volleyball Poll.
Burts earned Second-Team All-Southeast Region honors last season after leading the league with 121 total blocks and 36 solo blocks. She ranked fifth in the SAC with 85 block assists and posted double-figure kills in 14 matches, including 13 of the final 17 outings. The Anderson, S.C., native was second on the team with 269 kills, while leading the conference with a .326 hitting percentage and wrapped up last season in eighth place in the school record books for total blocks in a single season after posting at least five total blocks in 13 matches, including a season-high nine at Newberry.
Mitter, a two-time all-conference honoree, was a First-Team All-SAC honoree and an All-Southeast Region performer last season. The Redondo Beach, Calif., native was one of only two players in the league to post more than 300 kills and 300 digs a year ago after ranking third in the conference with 390 kills and standing fifth in the SAC with 3.31 kills per set. She was second on the squad and 19th in the SAC with 345 digs on the year, while posting 20 double-doubles. She reached double-figure kills on 24 occasions, including each of the final nine matches in 2016. She is 12th in the school record books with 849 career kills. .
Conlin, the reigning SAC Freshman of the Year, also captured Second-Team All-SAC recognition at the conclusion of last season after collecting AstroTurf South Atlantic Conference Specialist of the Week accolades on two occasions. A native of Glendale, Ariz., Conlin was 15th in the nation in assists in assists and ranked second in the conference in assists. She already ranks sixth in the AU record books for assists in a single season after leading the league in assists per set, service aces and was second in aces per set last year. Conlin wrapped up the regular season with 10 consecutive double-doubles and posted 18 on the season. She reached the 40+ assist plateau 15 times, including a career-high 60 assists in AU's five-set win over Tusculum last September.
Jackson earned Second-Team All-SAC accolades two seasons ago and despite being hampered by injuries last year, the Charlotte, N.C., native was third on the team with 250 points and reached double-figure kills five times, including three straight matches in September. She knocked down a season-high 13 kills twice and was second on the team and ranked 13th in the SAC with 11 solo blocks. She posted a season-high .800 attack percentage in AU's sweep of West Georgia.
The Trojans are set to open the season against Emmanuel Friday in the Bobcat Classic, hosted by Georgia College. First-serve is slated for 5 p.m.
2017 SAC Preseason Coaches' Poll
School (1st-Place Votes) Points
1. Wingate (10) – 100
2. Lincoln Memorial – 81
3. Anderson (1) – 76
4. Queens – 75
5. Lenoir-Rhyne – 65
6. Newberry – 61
7. Tusculum – 49
8. Catawba – 35
9. Carson-Newman – 28
10. Mars Hill – 22
11. Coker - 13
2017 Preseason All-South Atlantic Conference
First Team
Oakley Attaway, Wingate
Rachel Burts, Anderson
Emily Conlin, Anderson
Marissa Mitter, Anderson
Samantha Cash, Lincoln Memorial
Brooke Redmond, Lenoir-Rhyne
Emily Steele, Lenoir-Rhyne
DS: Melissa Mazur, Tusculum
Second Team
Keira Holland, Lincoln Memorial
Rachel Alles, Wingate
Rebecca Cochran, Queens
Katie Bludau, Wingate
Serena Jackson, Anderson
Sydney Kunz, Queens
Tone Gill, Lincoln Memorial
DS: Treslyn Ortiz, Wingate
