STATESBORO- Sophomore outside hitter Reagan Barth garnered preseason All-Sun Belt honors and the Eagles placed third in the east division in the preseason poll, the league announced.

As a freshman, Barth was named All-SBC First Team after appearing in 29 matches, starting 27 and totaling 353 kills, 224 digs, 34 blocks and 40 aces in her first season in Statesboro. Barth was the team leader in kills, kills/set, points, points/set and aces and was third on the team with a .263 hitting percentage.

In addition, the Lenexa, Kan. native recorded seven double-doubles, and notched 20 or more kills four times, including a season-high 23 kills against Coastal Carolina on Oct. 7. Barth finished the season 78th in the NCAA in aces/set and 87th in kills/set, further cementing one of the greatest freshman seasons in Georgia Southern volleyball history.

Following a 23-9 season and a berth in the NIVC Great Eight, the Eagles garnered 74 points in the preseason poll, placing third in the East Division behind first-place James Madison (90, 8 first-place) and Coastal Carolina (88, 6 first-place). The Eagles were picked fourth in the East and finished fifth overall in the SBC with a 10-8 record last year.

The Eagles hope to improve on the 23-win season from a year ago and make the team's first NCAA Tournament since 2013. They will kick off their season with an exhibition matchup at Florida on Aug. 24.