SAC coaches rank Eagles fourth in preseason poll

Posted: Aug 26, 2015

ROCK HILL, S.C. – Carson-Newman was one of three teams to pick up a first place vote in the 2015 South Atlantic Conference preseason poll as the league announced its preseason coaches' poll Wednesday. The Eagles were picked fourth picking up 96 points and picked up a first place vote for the first time in a preseason poll since 2011.

"I love this conference," coach Dan Ahiers said. "Last year they picked us eighth and we all know what happened last year. This year they picked us low again and picked us fourth. I know [the girls] are going to be fired up and prove them wrong again."

The 2014 team had one of its most successful seasons in program history winning the second-most games in program history while recording the fewest losses during a 27-7 campaign. Carson-Newman finished firmly in second place in the league play, four games clear of Anderson (S.C.) and just one game behind nine-time defending league champion Wingate.

The Eagles used three AVCA All-Southeast Region selections and the program's first All-American, Jenna Wilson, to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament where the team swept USC Aiken in the opening round.

Wilson set the school record for hitting percentage in a season finishing ninth in Division II with a .389 percentage. The Eagles will also have to replace four-year starters and All-SAC performers Rachel Harper, Kristen Pickett and Lauren Santarelli. Harper was a two-time All-SAC selection and an All-Southeast Region pick a season ago. Pickett ranks second in school history in assists and service aces in a career while Santarelli tallied just shy of 1,000 kills in her career.

"Clearly we lost a whole lot," Ahiers said. "When you lose our first ever All-American. You lose an outside, a right side and a setter. We lost a lot, but what I really like about this team is they have expectations for themselves. They're not judging themselves off of last year's team. They want to go out and create their own mark. We are holding just as high of a standard if not a higher standard than we did last year."

Transfers Molly Locke (College Grove, Tenn.) and Maddie Borch (Walnut Creek, Calif.) bring experience to the front line while junior Taylor Lowe (Franklin, Tenn.) and senior Kristina Hill (Lake Orion, Mich.) stabilize the back line.

Senior outside hitter Sara Fairley (Charlotte, N.C.) had a breakout season in 2014 racking up 189 kills after recording just 33 in her first two seasons on campus. Fairley became a solid six-rotation player during her junior year as she had six double-figure kill matches and six double-figure dig matches.

Locke piled up 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs in her three seasons at Mercer while Borch hit .431 at Cabrillo College a year ago.

Lowe was a Southeast Region All-Tournament Team pick a year ago and a preseason second team All-SAC pick this year while Hill has seen action in 82 matches over her first three seasons in the program.

Wingate is once again picked to the win the league picking up 10 first place votes. Its 55-match winning streak was halted on its home court on November 1 as Carson-Newman knocked off the Bulldogs in five sets. Wingate finished the 2014 season 34-3 overall and 21-1 in conference play. The Bulldogs saw their season come to a close in the national elite eight in a sweep to Grand Valley State, Carson-Newman's second match of the season on September 4. The Bulldogs are No. 16 in the AVCA coaches' preseason poll.

Lenoir-Rhyne is picked second after earning an at-large bid to the Southeast Regional Tournament in 2014. The Bears fell to Armstrong Atlantic in four sets in the opening round. Lenoir-Rhyne finished fourth in the league last season and hand Carson-Newman one of its two losses in SAC play, a five set match at Holt Fieldhouse on October 25. Middle blocker Brooke Redmond was the league's freshman of the year in 2014.

Tusculum finished fifth in the league last season. After a slow start to the nonconference slate, the Pioneers rallied to a 15-7 mark in SAC play and is projected for a third place finish this season.

Lincoln Memorial rounds out the trio of Tennessee schools with a fifth place prediction for the upcoming season after concluding the 2014 campaign with a 12-10 record in SAC play and a sixth place finish.

In sixth place is Anderson (S.C.) who has a new coach and is looking to replace the league's play of the year in middle blocker Hailey Pittman, the Trojans finished third in 2014. Anderson was the fifth seed in the Southeast Regional Tournament and fell in five sets to GRU Augusta in the opening round.

Newberry sees itself picked seventh by the coaches after a seventh place finish in 2014 going 9-13 in the league.

Catawba and Queens tied for eighth in the preseason poll. The Indians finished 10^th a season ago, but joined Wingate and Carson-Newman as the only teams to earn a first place vote. Queens was 3-19 in the league and finished 11^th.

Mars Hill tied with Newberry for seventh a year ago and sees itself slotted in the 10^th spot.

Brevard has a new coach and is picked 11^th while Coker is picked 12^th after going 1-21 in SAC play a season ago.

2015 SAC Volleyball Preseason Poll

School (first-place votes) Total

1. Wingate (10) 131

2. Lenoir-Rhyne 111

3. Tusculum 100

4. Carson-Newman (1) 96

5. Lincoln Memorial 91

6. Anderson 78

7. Newberry 69

8. Catawba (1) 65