Women's Volleyball | 8/6/2018 2:13:00 PM |
TSU's Anderson Named SWAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Texas Southern University has been selected to finish 2nd in the 2018 Southwestern Athletic Conference Volleyball Preseason poll for the upcoming season, as the league announced preseason honors today.
Alabama State was tabbed to finish 1st in a vote conducted by the conference's Sports Information Directors and Head Coaches. ASU tallied 155 total points and 12 first-place votes, beating out 2017 finalist Texas Southern (129 points).
Alabama A&M was selected to finish third (117 points). Arkansas-Pine Bluff racked up 93 points, good for fourth. Prairie View A&M (85), Grambling State (82), Southern (81) and Jackson State (76) followed. Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley State rounded out the standings with 32 and 30 points, respectively.
Additionally, Texas Southern middle blocker/hitter Kirby Anderson nabbed Preseason Offensive Player of the Year honors.
Anderson, a 2017 first-team All-SWAC player and a member of the 2018 Preseason First-Team, posted 227 kills to just 71 errors, notching an impressive .335 attack percentage, which is tops among returning players with qualifying standard minimums.
The senior from Duncanville, Texas averaged 2.23 kills per set, and was a dynamic force on the defensive end as well, posting 130 total blocks. She is one of three Lady Tigers to garner preseason honors as fellow teammate Asia Howard (1st Team) and Alexis Austin (2nd Team) also join her on the squad.
Listed below are all selections for the 2018 Preseason All-SWAC Volleyball Teams.
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year– Kirby Anderson, MB/MH, Texas Southern
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year – Christen Augustine, DS, Prairie View A&M
2018 Preseason All-SWAC First Team
OH – Bayle' Bennett, Alabama State
OH – Lisa Casimie, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
RS – Kevreion Ward, Grambling State
RS – Paige Hall, Southern
MB/MH – Kirby Anderson, Texas Southern
MB/MH – Payten Clark, Alabama State
S – Kori Kutsch, Alabama State
S – Asia Howard, Texas Southern
DS/L – Christen Augustine, Prairie View A&M
2018 Preseason All-SWAC Second Team
OH – Krysta Medearis, Alabama State
OH – Alexis Austin, Texas Southern
RS – Tess Reynolds, Grambling State
RS – Singryd Valadares, Alcorn State
MB/MH – Candace Martin, Alabama State
MB/MH – Arabella Hall, Southern
S – Meredith Sieck, Alabama A&M
S – Britney Sahlmann, Arkansas-Pine Bluff
DS/L – Erineka Mollere, Grambling State
Courtesy: TSU Athletics