Volleyball Picked to Finish Third in South

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Opening regular season competition on Friday, the Georgia Southern Volleyball team was picked to finish third in the South Division as voted on by the head coaches in the Southern Conference (August 24). The Eagles, led by junior Bethany Sanford and sophomore setter Kate Van Dyke who were both named Preseason All-Southern Conference, received one first-place vote, 48 points total.

Sanford and Van Dyke both earned All-Conference honors at the conclusion of the 2009 season. Sanford led the team in kills (390) and ranked second in the conference tallying 3.48 kills per set.

Van Dyke averaged 10.59 assists per set, collecting a team-best 1,229 assists over the season, and ranked second in the league in that statistical category. The sophomore also earned All-Freshman accolades. Both Eagles were named SoCon Player of the Week at least once during the 2009 season.

As a team, Georgia Southern returns 11 letterwinners and adds an incoming class of three. The Eagles capped the 2009 season with a 21-10 record and 11-5 conference mark, narrowly missing the reduced field for the league tournament.

The 2009 tournament champions College of Charleston grabbed the top slot in the South Division for the second consecutive year.  Samford, the two-time defending North Division regular season champion, was tabbed to claim a third straight division title.

The War Eagle Invitational, August 27-28, opens the 2010 season for the Eagles. Georgia Southern faces UT Martin on Friday (Aug. 27) at 6 p.m. (ET) in the first of three matches over the weekend. Troy and host Auburn will be on deck for Saturday, Aug. 28. Live stats will be available for all matches at the official website of Auburn Athletics. Fans can access the War Eagle Invitational page by visiting auburntigers.cstv.com or by clicking here.

Southern Conference Preseason Poll
School (#1 Votes)                 Total Points
North
1. Samford (9)                        65
2. Elon (1)                             52
3. Appalachian State (2)         50
4. UNC Greensboro                35
5. Chattanooga                      27
6. Western Carolina               17

South
1. College of Charleston (7)    62
2. Furman (4)                        58
3. Georgia Southern (1)       48
4. Davidson                           36
5. Wofford                             24
6. The Citadel                       18

Preseason All-Southern Conference
Name                     School                        Position
Cole Dawley            College of Charleston    Setter
Caroline Adams       Furman                        Middle Blocker
Bethany Sanford      Georgia Southern   Outside Hitter
Sarabeth Peele        Davidson                     Outside Hitter
Elyse Chubb            College of Charleston   Middle Blocker
Kelly Kirby               Furman                       Right Side
Kate Van Dyke        Georgia Southern     Setter
Hillary Fountain       Samford                       Setter
Ginny Phillips          College of Charleston    Right Side

Category: Volleyball

Published on Tuesday, 24 August 2010 13:42