SPARTANBURG, S.C. – ETSU was picked to win the Southern Conference volleyball title in preseason voting by the league’s nine head coaches. The coaches also selected an eight-member preseason all-conference team.
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams or players in the balloting.
ETSU collected five first-place votes and 60 points to claim the preseason honor. Samford, the back-to-back Southern Conference champion, was close behind, tallying 59 points and picking up three first-place votes, while Furman was picked third, totaling 50 points and the remaining first-place vote. Western Carolina tallied 34 points to claim fourth, while Wofford finished in fifth with 30 points, one point ahead of Mercer (29). Chattanooga was right behind with 27 points to take seventh with UNCG (18) and The Citadel (17) rounding out the field in eighth and ninth, respectively.
The Bucs are coming off of a 25-6 overall record in 2019 and a 14-2 mark in conference play. Benavia Jenkins’ squad, which earned a spot in the 2019 SoCon championship match, will be led by preseason all-conference team members Emily Arnold, Olivia Cunningham, the 2019 Rayna Taylor Freshman of the Year, and Lauren Hatch. Arnold, a sophomore setter, dished out 1,249 assists last season, 10.24 per set, serving as the offensive general for the Bucs, who led the league in both hitting percentage and kills a season ago. Cunningham (319) and Hatch (344), sophomore outside hitters, were both in the top 10 in the league in kills, while Cunningham also finished the 2019 campaign second in service aces per set (0.42).
Samford, 24-6 and 15-1 a season ago en route to SoCon regular-season and tournament titles, put junior outside hitter Lauren Deaton, a First Team All-SoCon performer a season ago, on the preseason squad. Deaton tallied 443 kills last season, second in the league behind teammate and SoCon Player of the Year Kelsi Hobbs.
Furman, which was 7-9 in league play and 8-21 overall a season ago, put middle blockers Neci Harris, a junior, and Courtney Hoffman, a redshirt senior, on the preseason all-conference squad. Harris (.332) and Hoffman (.306) were fourth and fifth, respectively, in hitting percentage amongst league players in 2019.
Western Carolina finished third in the regular season in 2019, amassing an 11-5 league record, and finished 17-13 overall. Junior outside hitter Merry Gebel, a SoCon second-team selection last year, is a preseason all-conference selection after finishing in the top 10 in the league in both kills (373) and service aces (38) last season.
Wofford totaled a 15-16 record and went 8-8 in conference play a year ago, while Mercer was 14-17 on the year and 6-10 in SoCon play, advancing to the SoCon semifinals as the No. 6 seed before falling to No. 2 seed ETSU, 3-1. Chattanooga was 7-23 overall and 2-14 in league action, while the UNCG Spartans concluded the 2019 campaign with an 11-20 record and 5-11 SoCon mark.
The Citadel, which finished 11-20 overall and 4-10 in SoCon play, returns its leading hitter from last season, preseason all-conference selection Sharlissa De Jesus. De Jesus, a second-team all-conference pick last season, amassed 326 kills and led the league in service aces (44).
The 2020-21 regular season begins on Friday, Jan. 22, as Chattanooga and Wofford are in action. Mercer, which played three matches in the fall of 2020, kicks off its spring campaign on Jan. 24 with two nonconference contests. Southern Conference play gets underway on Sunday, Jan. 31.
League squads will play the same opponent in consecutive contests this season, with intraleague contests slated for Sundays and Mondays. The SoCon Volleyball Championship will be hosted by the No. 1 seed and as part of the league’s cost cutting initiative, will include the top four seeds only. The semifinal matches will be held on Friday, April 2, followed by the final on Saturday, April 3.
2020-21 Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
| 1. ETSU (5) |
60 |
| 2. Samford (3) |
59 |
| 3. Furman (1) |
50 |
| 4. Western Carolina |
34 |
| 5. Wofford |
30 |
| 6. Mercer |
29 |
| 7. Chattanooga |
27 |
| 8. UNCG |
18 |
| 9. The Citadel |
17 |
() denotes first-place votes
2020-21 Volleyball Preseason All-Conference Team
Sharlissa De Jesus, The Citadel, Sr., OH
Emily Arnold, ETSU, So., S
Olivia Cunningham, ETSU, So., OH
Lauren Hatch, ETSU, So., OH
Neci Harris, Furman, Jr., MB
Courtney Hoffman, Furman, R-Sr., MB
Lauren Deaton, Samford, Jr., OH
Merry Gebel, Western Carolina, Jr., OH