HobbsDailyReport.com
ROCK HILL, S.C. – Lenoir-Rhyne University has two preseason all-conference picks in women’s volleyball and is predicted to finish fifth in the South Atlantic Conference (SAC) this season.
In voting by league coaches released on Tuesday by the conference, the Bears’ Emily Steele and Brooke Redmond were named preseason first-team All-SAC.
REDMOND
STEELE
Wingate, the league volleyball champion each of the previous 11 seasons, is again the conference favorite. The Bulldogs received 10 first-place votes and 100 points.
LRU got 65 points and is predicted in fifth behind Wingate, Lincoln Memorial, Anderson, S.C., and Queens.
The Bears were 12-18 overall last season and 10-12 in the conference. They open the new season Friday at 11:30 a.m., playing Saint Leo and then American International at 4:30 p.m. in the Nova Southeastern Shark Invitational in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Steele, a senior middle blocker from Greenville, N.C., and Redmond, a senior outside hitter from Statesville, return this season after earning second-team all-league honors as juniors.
Last season, Steele led the Bears with 109 blocks –second in the SAC – and had 242 kills.
Redmond had a team-best 282 kills and 243 digs. She was first-team All-SAC in 2015 and the MVP of the conference tournament championship.
SAC WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON POLL
1. Wingate (10) 100
2. Lincoln Memorial 81
3. Anderson (1) 76
4. Queens 75
5. LENOIR-RHYNE 65
6. Newberry 61
7. Tusculum 49
8. Catawba 35
9. Carson-Newman 28
10. Mars Hill 22
11. Coker 13
PRESEASON ALL-SAC TEAMS
FIRST TEAM
Oakley Attaway, Wingate
Rachel Burts, Anderson
Emily Conlin, Anderson
Marissa Mitter, Anderson
Samantha Cash, Lincoln Memorial
Brooke Redmond, Lenoir-Rhyne
Emily Steele, Lenoir-Rhyne
Melissa Mazur, Tusculum (Defensive Specialist)
SECOND TEAM
Kiera Holland, Lincoln Memorial
Rachel Alles, Wingate
Rebecca Cochran, Queens
Katie Bludau, Wingate
Serena Jackson, Anderson
Sydney Kunz, Queens
Tone Gill, Lincoln Memorial
Treslyn Ortiz, Wingate (Defensive Specialist)
LRU’s schedule: http://www.lrbears.com/schedule.aspx?path=wvball
LRU’s roster: http://www.lrbears.com/roster.aspx?path=wvball&roster=14