ANDERSON, S.C. – This is part two of a three-part series previewing the 2019 Anderson University volleyball season. Part two includes Head Coach Todd Hay's thoughts and a detailed look at the Trojans' setters and the outside, middle and right side hitters/blockers.

After opening preseason workouts more than two weeks ago, the Trojans will be seeking their eighth consecutive trip to the conference tournament and ninth appearance overall after joining the league for the 2010 campaign. Additionally, fourth-year Head Coach Todd Hay's squad will be bidding for its second South Atlantic Conference regular-season title in three seasons and its' sixth overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

"It's a new year," said Hay. "And every new year for me is exciting because I'm still loving what I do - it doesn't get old. What excites me about this team is the number of returners that we have back. I'm really looking at this team as a veteran squad – the vast majority of them have been through a season or two and they know what to expect. It's a team that has a lot of potential to do some really good things if we can put it all together and play well."

Hay's roster includes 11 returning letterwinners, including a trio of preseason all-conference selections, from last year's squad that matched the 2017 squad for most victories in program history by winning 28 matches. The Black and Gold posted a 17-3 South Atlantic Conference mark and advanced to the semifinals of the NCAA Southeast Region Tournament for the second straight year, while completing the most successful two-year span in school history.

In their quest to remain among the league's elite, the Trojans collected a pair of first-place votes and were tabbed second in last month's South Atlantic Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, while seniors Emily Conlin and Hailee Wilhelm, along with junior Regan Duty, earned Preseason All-South Atlantic Conference recognition.

"The biggest question mark that we [had] when we started preseason was serve-receive," noted Hay. "Filling that spot was important. The first contact is so critical and we graduated our primary passers. For me, who [was] going to fill that role – scary but also exciting at the same time because of the unknown and how to attack that challenge. A strength of our team would definitely be the front line - the height - the attacking – that's all pretty much in place from last year, but you can't get to the attackers if you don't have a good first contact."

The Trojans lost three veterans off their back row from a season ago with the graduation of Jayln Knight, Megan Embry and Emily Conard, who accounted for nearly half of AU's digs a season ago. The trio also committed just 73 miscues, while receiving more than 1,400 serves.

"We have some good younger kids that we have recruited for that specific role and we'll see how they do early in the season and if they don't step up and assume that role, then maybe one of the veterans will take on that role," added Hay.

Entering the season Hay isn't overly concerned with his offense, saying "our offense should be good – we should be able to put up good numbers in terms of kills and attack percentage and when you have Emily Conlin setting the ball for you, she just has the ability to make the people around her better."

The Hitters
Regan Duty, a native of Inman, S.C., is back for her junior campaign and earned Preseason All-SAC honors last month after garnering Honorable Mention All-SAC accolades a year ago, while also being named to the NCAA Southeast Region All-Tournament Team. She was fourth in the conference with 263 kills last season and finished 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.

"We are looking [for her] to grow in that position and build on a solid sophomore year going in to her junior year," said Hay. "She's challenged herself to be a better blocker and a more efficient attacker. She has worked hard this summer in conditioning and in the weight room and I'm expecting big things from her. We need big things from her - we need her to be good."

Another junior, Kaitlyn Grube, is back on the court after suffering a season-ending injury in late September. The Colfax, N.C., native recorded 153 kills, 18 service aces, 85 digs and posted 20 total blocks during her abbreviated season. Grube posted double-figure kills nine times and recorded three double-doubles.

"Another strength for us is having Kaitlyn back," said Hay. "It's probably going to take her a little bit of time to get back into full match mode, full practice mode. I'm excited for her and the team is excited to have her back. That will be something special as we go into the season."

Liliana Kinder "had to come in as a freshman, saw a lot of action and did a really good job last season," noted Hay.

She was named to the South Atlantic Conference All-Freshman Team after finishing fourth on the team with 208 kills, including a season-high 16 in the four-set win over Mars Hill in early November. Kinder reached double-figure kills nine times and posted 35 blocks on the season.

"Not too many people know that it was kind of a position change for her – she was not a true outside hitter when we recruited her," Hay added. "But I knew she could pretty much hit anywhere on the net. She's expecting and we are expecting to build upon the good first year that she had. You don't want to repeat your freshman year - you need to build on your freshman year and take another step forward and I believe she will do that."

As a true freshman, Maya Learmonth saw action in 21 matches while recorded 67 kills, including a season-high 11 against Erskine. She also posted 10 kills in the early-season win over Converse and came up with 17 digs on the season.

"Maya is somebody that we're looking at to step in and give us significant minutes this year," Hay said. "She knows that and she's been challenged with that. She improved a lot during the spring and is one of the most dynamic athletes on the team. She hits one of the hardest balls on the team and we trained with her in the spring to improve her back row play so she can help fill in that Jayln Knight role as an all-around type of player. She did fine in the spring, but there is a little bit of the unknown as to how she will respond as we go into the season."

Freshman Taylor Weber rounds out the quintet of hitters following a stellar prep career at Charlotte's Covenant Day.

"Taylor has long arms, a big block and is one of the better jumpers on the team in terms of vertical jump and physicality at the net," noted Hay. "She is just a strong kid. With Taylor as our only true front row player that we recruited in this class, I couldn't be more excited that she's here. With her size she definitely brings physicality at the net and brings a strong passion for winning. She's very competitive when she gets out on the court."

"We have some good pieces," Hay added. "It'll be fun to watch them compete. Taylor can also play right side – She played a lot of right side with her club team. We have depth there, as Taylor could move over to the right. We are excited about the competition between these five players – to push each other and make each other better. Our parts are interchangeable and it's important to realize that we have depth at each position."

Middle Hitters/Blockers
With Neely Shugart redshirting this season, the Trojans will enter the season with three middle blockers listed on the roster.

Senior Hailee Wilhelm, one of just two active seniors on the squad, collected Preseason First-Team All-Conference laurels after earning First-Team All-Region Honors to go along with First-Team All-South Atlantic Conference accolades 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.

"Hailee didn't play as much as a sophomore, so she sorta came out of nowhere," said Hay. "Last year was exciting to see her embrace that role. She exceeded (my) expectations last year because of the experience factor – I've seen her grow from the time I came in (2017) – she made biggest improvement on the team and she was our most improved player over the last couple of years. That was exciting. She bided her time and then had a breakout season a year ago. She wants an upward trend this season. She's not satisfied with last year's success."

Hannah Worsham, a sophomore from Orlando, Fla., started 25 contests last season and was sixth on the team with 137 kills, including a season-high 10 in November's five-set loss to Lincoln Memorial. She was second on the team with 55 and ranked eighth in the conference with s .269 hitting percentage.

"Hannah has good quickness and works hard," Hay said. "Hailee and Hailee both came out of nowhere and any concerns last season were put to rest early. We hope they perform at last year's level and want them to be even more effective and take it up another notch from there."

Noelle Knutsen was probably our most improved player last year over the course of the year in terms of where she was when she came in and where she finished in the spring," Hay noted. "Her goal is to be a starter - she wants to fight for a starting position. Noelle is our best slide attacker and has worked hard on attacking in front of the setter and has worked hard on her lateral movement. She is going to get her touches and I am expecting big things from her."

Knutsen saw action in 18 matches, while starting six contests a year ago. She posted 34 kills, including a season-high seven in the season-opening four-set win over UIndy and recorded five block assists against the Greyhounds.

The Setters
Veteran Emily Conlin is back for her senior campaign after capturing Preseason First-Team All-Conference honors. The 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) a season ago.

The Glendale, Ariz., native ranked 10th nationally in with 57 aces on the season and was second in the league with a career-high 1,319 assists. She posted 23 double-doubles on the season, while dishing out double-figure assists in every match. Conlin 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.

"We are excited for Connie's senior year," added Hay. "This is her opportunity to really step into a leadership role - not only as a physical, athletic leader on the court but also as a senior, an emotional veteran leadership role that she needs to assume as well."

"A lot of people associate AU volleyball with Emily because of how decorated her career has been, her accolades and the awards that she has earned over the last few years have been phenomenal. She is one of the most humble people – she just wants to go out there and perform. She is a bit of a perfectionist so she wants to make sure that everything she does is to the best and we are expecting big things from her this year. It will be fun to watch her. The players love hitting off her sets."

Sophomore Madison Roy saw action in five matches last season and handed out 51 assists, including a season-high 21 against Virginia Union and another dozen against UNC Pembroke. The North Myrtle Beach, S.C., native averaged more than seven assists per set.

"Madison improved a lot during her freshman year," Hay added. "Just going from the high school game to the college game [is a big adjustment] – it's faster and the intensity is stronger. Just having to adjust to faster tempos on the sets and the multitude of sets. She had to make that adjustment. Madison has phenomenal athletic ability. She's fast and quick and puts up a strong block. Our fans haven't had the opportunity to see her much in Abney, but she's very good and very talented. We are completely confident in Madison's ability and there's no doubt that she has the ability to run the show when called upon."

"Good things about both Madison and Emily – they are both quick," Hay added. "They have good speed and play good, solid defense. And they have two of the best serves on the team."

Part three of the 2019 volleyball season preview will take a look at the libero/defensive specialists and the schedule.