SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Three-time defending Southern Conference champion Samford was picked to win the 2021 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.
Samford collected six first-place votes and 62 points to claim the preseason honor. Mercer was close behind, tallying 58 points and picking up the remaining three first-place votes. Wofford was picked third, totaling 46 points, while Western Carolina was picked fourth with 41 points. The Bulldogs, Bears, Terriers and Catamounts competed in the SoCon 2020-21 tournament semifinals, played in the spring of 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Just eight points separated fifth through seventh in the poll, with ETSU earning the nod at fifth (35), Furman selected sixth (30) and The Citadel chosen in seventh (27). Chattanooga (17) and UNCG (8) rounded out the field in eighth and ninth, respectively.
The Bulldogs are coming off of a 15-4 overall record in 2020-21 and a 13-3 mark in conference play. Samford, under the direction of head coach Keylor Chan, will be led by preseason all-conference team members Lauren Deaton, the 2020-21 SoCon Player of the Year, and Kenya McQuirter, the 2020-21 Rayna Taylor Freshman of the Year. Deaton, a senior outside hitter, led the league in kills (297) and kills per set (4.64) in conference matches in 2020-21. McQuirter was also in the top 10 in kills in SoCon contests, averaging 2.92, good enough for ninth.
Mercer, 15-8 overall and 13-3 in league play a season ago en route to an appearance in the Southern Conference Championship title match, put junior middle hitter Jaida Howell and senior outside hitter Annie Karle, both of whom were 2020-21 first-team all-conference honorees, on the preseason squad. Howell’s hitting percentage of .371 in league matches was second-best in the league, while she led the league in blocks in conference action, averaging 1.24 per set. Karle averaged 3.27 kills per set against league opponents, fifth in the league.
Wofford, which went 10-7 overall and 10-6 in league play in the spring, put sophomore middle blocker Sarah Barham on the preseason All-SoCon squad. Barham, a 2020-21 second-team all-conference selection, led the league in hitting percentage in league matches, hitting an impressive .379.
Western Carolina finished third in the regular season in 2020-21, amassing an 11-5 league record, and finished 11-8 overall. Senior outside hitter Merry Gebel, a SoCon first-team selection last year, is a preseason all-conference selection after finishing in the top 10 in the league in both kills (221) and digs (208) last season.
ETSU finished the 2020-21 7-9, playing only conference contests in the campaign. Furman also elected to compete only in SoCon play and went 5-11. Senior middle blocker Neci Harris was a preseason all-conference pick for the Paladins. Harris, a first-team all-conference performer a season ago, hit .311 and averaged 3.20 kills per set in 2020-21.
The Citadel, which went 9-12 overall and 7-9 in conference contests, return its leading hitter from last season, preseason all-conference selection Sharlissa De Jesus. De Jesus finished second in SoCon action in kills a season ago, accounting for 257. She led the league in service aces (29) and was sixth in hitting percentage (.286).
Chattanooga finished 6-12 overall and 4-12 in league action, while UNCG went 2-15 overall and 2-14 in SoCon play.
The 2021 regular season begins on Friday, Aug. 27, with all nine teams in action.
Following a first-round game between the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds on Nov. 15 or 16, the SoCon Volleyball Championship will be hosted by Samford on Nov. 19-21. The quarterfinals are slated for Nov. 19 and the semifinal matches will be held on Nov. 20 with the final on Nov. 21.
2021 Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll
| 1. Samford (6) |
62 |
| 2. Mercer (3) |
58 |
| 3. Wofford |
46 |
| 4. Western Carolina |
41 |
| 5. ETSU |
35 |
| 6. Furman |
30 |
| 7. The Citadel |
27 |
| 8. Chattanooga |
17 |
| 9. UNCG |
8 |
() denotes first-place votes
2021 Volleyball Preseason All-Conference Team
Sharlissa De Jesus, The Citadel, Sr., OH
Neci Harris, Furman, Sr., MB
Jaida Howell, Mercer, Jr., MH
Annie Karle, Mercer, Sr., OH
Lauren Deaton, Samford, Sr., OH
Kenya McQuirter, Samford, R-So., OH
Merry Gebel, Western Carolina, Sr., OH
Sarah Barham, Wofford, So., MB