ETSU slated to finish fifth

SPARTANBURG, S.C. (Aug. 22, 2019) – The defending two-time Southern Conference Libero of the Year, Marija Popovic (Belgrade, Serbia) was named to the preseason all-conference squad. The Bucs were picked to finish fifth after earning the first at-large NCAA volleyball bid in league history last season.   

Samford, the reigning SoCon tournament champion earned seven first-place votes and was picked as the preseason favorite. Mercer and Furman rounded out the top-three with Wofford and ETSU completing the top five.

Popovic will be entering her third season with the Blue and Gold. Last season, she led the league with 648 digs and was a three-time defensive player of the week selection and two-time player of the month nominee. Her 648 digs put her second all-time in the program’s history for digs in a single season.                                                

ETSU received 33 votes as a team. Last season they finished with the regular-season conference title after a 15-1 record in the SoCon and 28-7 overall.

The Bucs will face App State tomorrow, August 23, in an exhibition at 6:30 p.m. in Boone, N.C. They officially kick off their season at the Jacksonville State Invitational next weekend in Jacksonville, Ala. beginning August 30 at 1:30 p.m. EST. 

2019 Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll

1. Samford (7) 63
2. Mercer (1) 52
3. Furman (1) 51
4. Wofford 40
5. ETSU 33
6. UNCG 32
7. Chattanooga 30
8. Western Carolina 13
9. The Citadel 10

() denotes first-place votes

2019 Volleyball Preseason All-Conference Team

OH, Sharlissa De Jesus, The Citadel
LIB, Marija Popovic, ETSU
MB, Courtney Hoffman, Furman
RS, Brittany Major, Mercer
OH, Roberta Todd, Mercer
OH, Lauren Deaton, Samford
RS, Kelsi Hobbs, Samford
MB, Dani Szczepanski, Chattanooga
OH, Catie Cronister, Wofford

To read the conference release, click here.

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