VIDEO: Taylor Lowe Interview

ROCK HILL, S.C. – Junior libero Taylor Lowe (Franklin, Tenn.) received recognition for a strong sophomore season by being named preseason second-team All-South Atlantic Conference announced by the league Wednesday afternoon.

"I think the biggest thing is this summer not only me but almost the whole team came back and was here all of July working out every day," Lowe said. "Coach is really big about that offseason work even with sand too. I played in California this summer and that was an awesome experience. For defense it has really helped my quickness being able to see the ball more."

Lowe was named to the Southeast Region All-Tournament Team in 2014 racking up 34 digs in two matches as she played in 119 of the 125 sets as the team's libero. Since stepping on the Carson-Newman campus, the junior has led the Eagles in digs in 45 of the team's 63 matches.

"It's definitely different," Lowe said of being an upperclassmen. "I've been the youngest for two years. Now being one of the older ones, it's a big space to fill especially after Kristen [Pickett], [Rachel] Harper, Jenna [Wilson] and Lauren [Santarelli] were all huge leaders. I'm working on being more vocal. I'm going to try to lead more and be more vocal on the court as much as I can."

In 2014, the Franklin, Tenn. native ranked sixth in the SAC in total digs with 524 and seventh in the conference with 4.40 digs per set. While racking up at least 20 digs on eight occasions, Lowe led the Eagles in digs 23 times.

She enters the season three digs shy of 1,000 for her career and needs 277 digs to move into the program's top five in career digs as she chases Kendra Ricketersen's 1,273.

The Eagles have six liberos on the roster this season and Lowe has seen the benefits of having numbers at the position.

"It's really helped me because it pushes you," Lowe said. "When you don't have people behind you, you don't think you need to do as much as you need. We all are very competitive with each other every practice. You have to be on your game every day."

On September 9, 2014, the libero finished one dig shy of a career high against Brevard as she scooped up 29 balls in a four-set win over Brevard while handing out a career-high six assists.

In the NCAA Tournament, Lowe racked up 22 digs and three assists in her first career Southeast Regional match in the volleyball program's first sweep in NCAA Tournament play of USC Aiken on November 20.

Carson-Newman begins its 2015 season with a journey to Allendale, Mich. next weekend beginning with a match against Quincy on September 4 at 3 p.m. in the Laker Riverfront Classic.

First Team

1. Shelly Stumpff, Wingate
2. Abby Saehler, Wingate
3. Mary Kate Griffin, Mars Hill
4. Kiera Holland, Lincoln Memorial
5. Brianna Gottberg, Lenoir-Rhyne
6. Katie Bludau, Wingate
7. Kori Adams, Wingate
8. Laryssa Welch, Tusculum

Second Team

1. Rachel Garnett, Tusculum
2. Brooke Redmond, Lenoir-Rhyne
3. Rebecca Butler, Mars Hill
4. Priscilla Irizarry, Anderson
5. Elizabeth Bialkowski, Queens
6. Aleksandra Vrvilo, Brevard
7. Alex Hopper, Catawba
8. Taylor Lowe, Carson-Newman

- CN -