ROCK HILL, S.C. – With the regular-season opener just two weeks away, the Anderson University volleyball team captured a pair of first-place votes and has been predicted to finish second in the 2019 South Atlantic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, while seniors Emily Conlin and Hailee Wilhelm, along with junior Regan Duty, also earned Preseason All-South Atlantic Conference honors, as announced by the conference office, Friday morning.
The Trojans equaled a program-best 28 victories and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Southeast Region Tournament for the second straight year last season. AU won the 2017 SAC regular-season title and finished second in last year's league standings, with this year's second-place prediction equaling last year's for the highest spot in the preseason poll for the Black and Gold since the Trojans joined the conference in 2010.
The poll also marks the first time since joining the league that the Trojans have collected two first-place votes.
The preseason first- and second- teams were also announced, with the Trojans' Conlin and Wilhelm capturing first-team honors, while Duty collected second–team accolades.
After having its streak of 11 consecutive championships halted two years ago by the Trojans, Wingate has been picked to repeat last season's success and claim its 13th regular-season title in 14 years after picking up 10 first-place votes and 131 points from the coaches' panel. The Bulldogs finished 32-2 last season after winning both the SAC Regular Season and SAC Tournament Championships and advancing to the NCAA's Elite 8.
Lincoln Memorial and Carson-Newman shared the third spot on the ballot, with each team garnering 104 points. LMU came on strong at the end of last season, as the Lady 'Splitters won 11 of their last 13 matches and earned their seventh overall NCAA Tournament appearance. The Eagles finished tied for fourth in the league a year ago and will be led by a pair of Preseason All-SAC honorees in Morgan Ballard and Megan Oldenburger.
Queens came in at No. 5 in the preseason poll with 90 points, with Lenoir-Rhyne close behind in the sixth slot with 87 points. Mars Hill (67 points) held the seventh slot, while Tusculum and Catawba shared the eighth spot after each team garnered 51 points. Coker (49 points), Newberry (46 points) and UVa-Wise (23 points) wrapped up the 12-team poll.
Accompanying the release of the preseason poll was the announcement of the 2018 SAC Volleyball Preseason All-Conference teams. The preseason all-conference teams featured three players each from Anderson and Queens, two from Lincoln Memorial, Carson-Newman and Lenoir-Rhyne and a single player from Wingate, Coker, Mars Hill, Newberry and league-newcomer UVa-Wise.
Conlin, a two-time All-America honoree, earned First-Team Preseason All-SAC accolades for the second straight year after garnering First-Team All-Region recognition from both the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and the Division II Conference Commissioner's Association (D2CCA).
The Glendale, Ariz., native was named SAC Specialist of the Week four times last season and led the conference and ranked 10th nationally in with 57 aces on the season. Conlin was second in the league with a career-high 1,319 assists and ranked ninth in the SAC with 479 digs and 14th in digs per set (4.09/set). She posted 23 double-doubles on the season, while dishing out double-figure assists in every match.
Conlin reached the 40+ assist plateau on 17 occasions and notched 50+ assists in six matches last season. She begins the season in third place all-time in the AU record books and fifth all-time in the conference with 3,857 career assists.
Wilhelm, a middle blocker, earned AVCA First-Team All-Region Honors last season and was named First-Team All-South Atlantic Conference at the conclusion of last season. The Columbus, Ohio, native was fourth in the conference with a team-high 312 kills last season, including a season-high 20 on two occasions. She led the Trojans and ranked second in the conference with a .311 hitting percentage and tallied double-figure kills in 16 matches, including seven straight matches from mid-October through the first week of November. Wilhelm also paced the team and ranked 19th in the SAC with 59 total blocks, including 54 block assists.
Duty saw action in 32 matches last season and captured Honorable Mention All-SAC accolades a year ago, while also being named to the NCAA Southeast Region All-Tournament Team. The native of Inman, S.C., ranked fourth in the conference with 263 kills and was third on the team with 2.68 kills per set. She finished last season tied for first on the team with five solo blocks and ranked third on the team with 37 block assists and 42 total blocks. A right-side hitter, Duty was third on the team with 286 points and reached double-figure kills in 13 matches.
The Trojans are set to open the regular season against Indianapolis for the second consecutive season, on Friday, Sept. 6 in the Cedarville (Ohio) Yellow Jacket Invite. First-serve versus the Greyhounds is slated for 11 a.m.
2019 SAC Preseason Coaches' Poll
Rank School (First Place Votes) Points
1. Wingate (10) 131
2. Anderson (2) 121
T-3. Lincoln Memorial 104
T-3. Carson-Newman 104
5. Queens 90
6. Lenoir-Rhyne 87
7. Mars Hill 67
T-8. Tusculum 51
T-8. Catawba 51
10. Coker 49
11. Newberry 46
12. UVa-Wise 23
2019 Preseason All-South Atlantic Conference
First Team
Emily Conlin, Anderson
Rachel Alles, Wingate
Rylee Storms, Lincoln Memorial
Taylor du Bray, Coker
Casey Tarvin, Queens
Sally Anne Johnson, Mars Hill
Hailee Wilhelm, Anderson
Morgan Ballard, Carson-Newman (L)
Second Team
Megan Oldenburger, Carson-Newman
Zoe Dinkins, Newberry
Taylor Prall, Lenoir-Rhyne
Regan Duty, Anderson
Logan Witt, Queens
Jaclyn Denny, Lenoir-Rhyne
Emily Walter, Lincoln Memorial
Ciara Kain, UVa-Wise
Jaycee Jones, Queens (L)
