Morehead State has been picked to win the 2011 Ohio Valley Conference volleyball title after winning the regular-season crown last year. The Eagles received 13 of the 22 first-place votes and 192 points in preseason balloting by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. Austin Peay, which captured the conference tournament title last year, received five first-place nods and 172 points to be selected to finish second. Jacksonville State earned three first-place votes and 141 points while Tennessee Tech garnered the remaining first-place vote and 130 points to be predicted to finish third and fourth, respectively. Eastern Kentucky rounded out the top five with 129 points followed by Murray State (102), Eastern Illinois (98), Tennessee State (85), Southeast Missouri (71), UT Martin (45) and SIUE (44). The Cougars, who joined the league in 2008, will be competing in the Conference regular-season and will be eligible for postseason play in 2012.
Morehead State went 25-8 overall and 17-1 in league action to capture its eighth OVC regular-season title. The Eagles made it to the championship match of the OVC Tournament last season where they fell to Austin Peay in four sets. The 2010 OVC Coach of the Year Jaime Gordon enters his ninth season with the Eagles and will have eight letter winners returning from last year. Among the top returnees are senior middle blocker Emma Keough and senior defensive specialist Liz Schuler. Keough, a 2011 preseason All-OVC selection, recorded more than 100 total blocks for the second straight season with 101 last year. The Batavia, Ohio, native is on pace to crack the OVC's top 10 for career block assists. Schuler, a product of Louisville, Ky. led the team with 522 digs which ranked 11th best in school history. She compiled a .950 receiving percentage at the teams primary first passer.
Austin Peay is coming off a season in which it went 26-8 overall and 14-4 in the OVC en route to its second OVC Tournament title. The Lady Govs will be under new direction for the fourth straight season as first-year head coach Bill Egbert takes over the reigns. Egbert, who comes to APSU after spending the last two years as an assistant at Mississippi, will have four starters returning from the 2010 squad, including 2011 preseason All-OVC pick Nikki Doyle (Santa Maria, Calif.). A senior outside hitter, Doyle ranked third in the conference with 3.45 kills per set while finishing fourth with 3.93 points per outing last year. Also coming back this season is junior libero Paige Economos. A product of Crystal Lake, Ill., Economos led the league with 0.40 service aces per set while recording 4.79 digs per set last year.
Jacksonville State posted a 16-14 overall mark while going 11-7 in the OVC to finish third last season. Joseph Goodson takes over the helm of the Gamecocks volleyball program after spending the last four seasons as the assistant at Green Bay. Goodson will have just two starters plus the libero back from last year's team. Junior opposite side hitter Jen Meyer, a 2011 preseason All-OVC selection, will be back on the court this year. Meyer, a native of Maineville, Ohio, was second on the team with 2.41 kills per set while also recording 22 service aces, 96 digs and 46 blocks last year. Lauren Harkins, a senior defensive specialist, also returns this season after leading the team with 4.96 per set in 2010. The Louisville, Ky., native also posted 23 service aces and 30 assists last year.
Joining Keough, Doyle and Meyer on the 14-member preseason All-OVC team are Morehead State junior outside hitter Ellie Roberson (Louisville, Ky.) and junior middle blocker Annie Gruenschlaeger (Ft. Thomas, Ky.); Eastern Illinois senior setter Chrissie Albers (Springfield, Ill.) and sophomore outside hitter Reynae Hutchinson (Mattoon, Ill.); UT Martin junior libero/defensive specialist Kasey Elswick (Louisville, Ky.) and senior middle blocker Ashley Doherty (Cyrstal Lake, Ill.); Eastern Kentucky sophomore outside hitter Ashley Edmond (Michigan City, Ind.); Murray State senior libero Kayleah Sauer (Louisville, Ky.); Southeast Missouri sophomore middle blocker Emily Coon (Imperial, Mo.); Tennessee State senior middle blocker/outside hitter Shaquita Williams (Huntsville, Ala.); and Tennessee Tech junior middle blocker Kelsey Gray (Newark, Ohio).
The 2011 volleyball season gets underway on Aug. 26 with Conference play starting Sept. 16.
2011 Preseason All-OVC Volleyball Team
( as Selected by OVC Head Volleyball Coaches and Sports Information Directors)
Nikki Doyle, Austin Peay*#
Shaquita Williams, Tennessee State*
Ellie Roberson, Morehead State
Emma Keough, Morehead State
Kelsey Gray, Tennessee Tech
Chrissie Albers, Eastern Illinois
Kasey Elswick, UT Martin*
Jen Meyer, Jacksonville State
Ashley Edmond, Eastern Kentucky#
Reynae Hutchinson, Eastern Illinois#
Emily Coon, Southeast Missouri#
Kayleah Sauer, Murray State
Annie Gruenschlaeger, Morehead State
Ashley Doherty, UT Martin
* - All-OVC in 2010
# - All-Newcomer in 2010
2011 OVC Volleyball Predicted Team Order of Finish
(as Selected by OVC Head Volleyball Coaches and Sports Information Directors)
1. Morehead State (13 first-place votes) - 192
2. Austin Peay (Five first-place votes) - 172
3. Jacksonville State (Three first-place votes) - 141
4. Tennessee Tech (One first-place vote) - 130
5. Eastern Kentucky - 129
6. Murray State - 102
7. Eastern Illinois - 98
8. Tennessee State - 85 9. Southeast Missouri - 71
10. UT Martin - 45
11. SIUE - 44