The Citadel tabbed as preseason SoCon volleyball favorite

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Citadel was picked as the favorite to win the 2024 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.

The Citadel, the defending SoCon regular-season champion, received four first-place votes and 58 points to claim the top spot in the preseason poll. Samford collected one first-place vote and 53 points to finish second in the poll. Mercer also claimed a first-place vote along with 47 points, taking the third spot in the poll. Furman’s 43 points and one first-place vote placed the Paladins in fourth. Wofford, the defending SoCon Tournament champion, which was the first women’s tournament title in school history, finished in fifth place with 36 points and a first-place vote. ETSU received the final first-place vote and 30 points, claiming sixth place in the process. Chattanooga followed in seventh with 27 points and Western Carolina was eighth with 21 points. UNCG rounded out the poll with nine points.

The Citadel Bulldogs are coming off a 27-4 overall record, including winning their first 23 matches, and a 14-2 mark in SoCon play in 2023, concluding their season with an appearance in the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC). The Citadel is under the direction of the reigning SoCon Coach of the Year Dave Zelenock, who is the program’s winningest head coach, and will be led by the preseason all-conference selections Ali Ruffin and Belle Hogan. In 2023, Ruffin was the SoCon Player of the Year and Hogan was the SoCon Setter of the Year as both were first-team all-conference selections. Ruffin, a senior outside hitter, completed the 2023 season first in the conference in kills (529), a school record, and double-doubles (22). Hogan, a senior, finished her 2023 campaign with a school record of 1,266 assists, which led the league.

Samford finished as the conference tournament runner-up last season after going 16-15 overall and 9-7 in conference play a season ago, placed outside hitters Gracie Lynn Butler and Kaleigh Meritt on the preseason team. Both players were first-team all-conference selections in 2023. Butler, who was an all-tournament pick last season, was second in the conference in kills (469). Meritt, the reigning Rayna Taylor Freshman of the Year, was fifth in kills per set (3.39).

Mercer had a 12-4 mark in league play and a 16-12 overall record in 2023. The Bears put senior middle blocker Skyler Bumpers on the preseason team. Bumpers led the SoCon in hitting percentage (.370) in 2023. Furman completed the 2023 season with an 8-8 mark in SoCon play and 17-11 overall record. The Paladins’ outside hitter, Mary Beth Headley, made the preseason all-conference squad. Headley was in the top 10 in the conference in kills per set (3.05) and service aces (29).

ETSU right side Jenna Forster and Chattanooga libero Paige Gallentine rounded out the preseason all-conference team. Gallentine led the SoCon in total digs (624) and was third in service aces (42) in 2023.

The 2024 regular season begins on Friday, Aug. 30, with all nine teams in action.

The SoCon Volleyball Championship will be on Nov. 21-24 at Harrah’s Cherokee Center – Asheville in Asheville, North Carolina. The 2024 volleyball championship marks the first time in the conference’s history that the tournament will be hosted exclusively at a neutral location for all teams. A first-round match between the No. 8 and No. 9 seed will be played on Nov. 21, with the quarterfinals slated for Nov. 22. The semifinal matches will be held on Nov. 23 and the final is set to be played on Nov. 24.

2024 Southern Conference Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll

() denotes first-place votes
 
2024 Southern Conference Volleyball Preseason All-Conference Team
Belle Hogan, The Citadel, Sr., S

Ali Ruffin, The Citadel, Sr., OH
Jenna Forster, ETSU, Gr., RS

Mary Beth Headley, Furman, Gr., OH

Skyler Bumpers, Mercer, Sr., MB
Gracie Lynn Butler, Samford, Sr., OH
Kaleigh Meritt, Samford, R-So., OH
Paige Gallentine, Chattanooga, Sr., LIB