BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Eastern Illinois will open the 2017 volleyball season this Saturday hosting IUPUI at 2 p.m. in an exhibition match. The Panthers then host the EIU Panther Classic sponsored by Comfort Suites on August 25-26, one of two home tournaments for EIU in Lantz Arena this season. On Tuesday the Ohio Valley Conference released its 2017 preseason All-OVC teams and the league's predicted order of finish.
Belmont has been picked to win the 2017 Ohio Valley Conference volleyball title in a vote of the league's head coaches and sports information directors. The Bruins picked up 10 first-place votes and 223 points while Austin Peay earned six-first place votes and 214 points to be selected to finish second. SIUE is picked to finish third with two-first place votes and 199 points. Murray State earned the six remaining first-place nods and 188 points to be predicted to place fourth. Eastern Kentucky earned 165 points to complete the top five. Rounding out the poll are Jacksonville State (134), Morehead State (117), Tennessee State (97), Southeast Missouri (70), Tennessee Tech (63), Eastern Illinois (60) and UT Martin (54).
Belmont went 16-12 overall and 10-6 in league play to place fourth in the OVC last year. Tony Howell, who enters his fourth year at the helm of the Bruins, led his team to its fifth straight OVC Tournament appearance last season. The Bruins placed three on the Preseason All-OVC team in senior outside hitter Arianna Person (Lenexa, Kan.), senior setter Emma Price (Fort Mill, S.C.) and senior right side hitter/middle blocker Brie Lewis (Stillwell, Kan.). Person was named to the 2016 All-OVC First Team after leading the Bruins and ranking fourth in the OVC in kills (425) and fifth in service aces (34). She also ranked second on the team with 302 digs. Price, who also earned All-OVC First Team honors last year, paced the Bruins with 10.27 assists per set to rank third in the league. Lewis was selected to the All-OVC Second Team in 2016 as she finished second on the team with 234 kills while leading the Bruins with 36 service aces.
Austin Peay is coming off a season in which it went 24-11 overall and 12-4 in OVC play to finish third. Head coach Taylor Mott enters her fifth year at the helm and will have the 2016 OVC Setter of the Year returning in junior Kristen Stucker (Johnston, Iowa). Stucker along with senior middle blocker/right side hitter Ashley Slay (Nashville, Tenn.) earned Preseason All-OVC honors. Stucker led the league with 10.54 assists per and 1,338 total assists last year. She was also second on the team with 317 digs. Slay, who earned All-OVC First Team honors in 2016, ranked fifth in the OVC in hitting percentage (.297) and kills (397). She also had 104 digs last season.
SIUE finished second in the league last year after going 13-3 in the OVC and 22-8 overall. The Cougars will be under the new direction of acting head coach Kendall Paulus. Paulus takes over the reigns after spending the last six seasons as the assistant coach. SIUE had a pair of Preseason All-OVC Team selections as senior middle blocker Taylor Joens (Johnston, Iowa) and senior outside hitter Jackie Scott (Wildwood, Mo.) each earned honors. Joens was named to the 2016 All-OVC First Team after leading the league with a .316 hitting percentage. She was first on the team with 331 kills and was second with 105 blocks. Scott, who earned All-OVC Second Team honors last year, recorded 191 kills, 265 digs and 18 services aces in 2016.
The 14-member preseason team featured 12 members that received postseason honors last year. Joining Person, Price, Lewis, Stucker, Slay, Joens and Scott on the preseason squad are: Eastern Kentucky senior outside hitter Nikki Drost (Las Vegas, Ky.) and sophomore setter Rachel Woody (Murrieta, Calif.); Southeast Missouri senior outside hitter Krissa Gearring (Bolingbrook, Ill.) and senior middle blocker Nzingha Clarke (O'Fallon, Ill.); Jacksonville State junior middle blocker Mackenzie Rombach (Ottawa, Ill.); Tennessee State sophomore outside hitter/middle blocker/opposite side hitter Julia Pierson (Rowlett, Texas); and senior middle blocker Jemima Idemudia (Glendale, Ariz.).
The 2017 volleyball season gets underway Aug. 25 with Conference play starting Sept. 19.
2017 Preseason All-OVC Volleyball Team
( as Selected by OVC Head Volleyball Coaches and Sports Information Directors)
Pos. cl. ht. HOMETOWN
Arianna Person, Belmont* OH Sr. 5-8 Lenexa, Kan.
Ashley Slay, Austin Peay* MB/RS Sr. 5-11 Nashville, Tenn.
Taylor Joens, SIUE* MB Sr. 6-0 Johnston, Iowa
Nikki Drost, Eastern Kentucky* OH Sr. 6-1 Las Vegas, Nev.
Kristen Stucker, Austin Peay* S Jr. 5-10 Johnston, Iowa
Krissa Gearring, Southeast Missouri* OH Sr. 5-8 Bolingbrook, Ill.
Emma Price, Belmont* S Sr. 5-10 Fort Mill, S.C.
Jemima Idemudia, UT Martin* MB Sr. 6-2 Glendale, Ariz.
Brie Lewis, Belmont# RS/MB Sr. 5-10 Stillwell, Kan.
Nzingha Clarke, Southeast Missouri# MB Sr. 6-1 O'Fallon, Ill.
Mackenzie Rombach, Jacksonville State# MB Jr. 6-2 Ottawa, Ill.
Rachel Woody, Eastern Kentucky S So. 5-10 Murrieta, Calif.
Jackie Scott, SIUE# OH Sr. 5-11 Wildwood, Mo.
Julia Pierson, Tennessee State OH/MB/OPP So. 6-0 Rowlett, Texas
* - All-OVC First Team in 2016
# - All-OVC Second Team in 2016
2017 OVC Volleyball Predicted Team Order of Finish
(as Selected by OVC Head Volleyball Coaches and Sports Information Directors)
School Points
1. Belmont (10 first-place votes) 223
2. Austin Peay (Six first-place votes) 214
3. SIUE (Two first place votes) 199
4. Murray State (Six first-place votes) 188
5. Eastern Kentucky 165
6. Jacksonville State 134
7. Morehead State 117
8. Tennessee State 97
9. Southeast Missouri 70
10. Tennessee Tech 63
11. Eastern Illinois 60
12. UT Martin 54
(*Schools were not allowed to rank their own team. 11 points awarded for a first-place vote, 10 for second, etc.)
