ROCK HILL, S.C. – The Winthrop Eagles Volleyball program was picked to finish second in the Big South this season, the league announced Wednesday afternoon.
The Eagles received 55 points with one first-place vote. This is the highest pre-season conference rating for the Garnet and Gold since 2008, when Winthrop was also slated to finish second. Winthrop last won the league title in 2019 and was picked to finish third that year.
Heather Gearhart enters her second season as the head coach for the Eagles after spending the 2022 campaign in an interim role. Gearhart has been with the program since February 2021, starting out as a volunteer assistant coach during COVID. Winthrop finished 16-12 (12-4 Big South) last season, finishing third in the regular-season. The Eagles advanced to the semifinals of the Big South tournament and had six players named Big South All-Conference, including setter
Isabella Murray winning the Conference's Freshman of the Year award, Winthrop's first honoree since 2005 and fourth time overall.
Murray,
Rachel McCollum,
Brookelynn Thomas and
Avery Jolley were also named to the All-Conference Team. McCollum joins Murray as Preseason Setters of the Year. the Year. Several other key returners are slated to play big roles in the 2023 season for the Eagles.
Karli Shepherd was named All-Conference Honorable Mention last year, and
Alicia Roberts will be returning for her final year of eligibility after being top 10 in the conference in hitting percentage and blocks per set.
In 2022, Murray was also named second team all-conference in which she finished first in the Big South and 42nd in the country in assists per set at 10.35 and Murray was was the only player in the league to average 10 or more assists per set last season. She recorded 260 digs for an average of 2.57 per set. She also had 56 blocks and 27 service aces on the season.
Jolley garnered honorable mention and all-freshman honors after a season that saw her notch 80 digs, 229 kills, 34 blocks, and 23 service aces on the season.
Thomas took honorable mention all-conference honors after finishing sixth in the conference in points per set with 3.35. She was second on the team with 2.46 kills per set. Thomas finished the season with 27 service aces, a career-high for a single-season.
Shepherd continued her stellar play in her sophomore campaign and earned honorable mention all-conference for the second straight season. Finishing fourth on the team with 150 kills (1.74 per set), Shepherd finished with 76 digs, 31 blocks, and 11 service aces on the year.
Gorniak finished 2022 in leading the team in digs and finished sixth in the conference in digs at 3.78 and was second on the team in assists with 62. She also finished third on the team in aces with 24.
Winthrop opens the regular season with three straight tournaments on the road at Wyoming, NC State and Florida before returning home with their home tournament September 15-16 against Eastern Kentucky and South Carolina.
Season and match tickets can be purchased here:
LINK
2023 BIG SOUTH PRESEASON VOLLEYBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Dylan Maberry, High Point, OH (Preseason Player of the Year)
Indigo Young, Charleston Southern, MB
Isabella Murray /
Rachel McCollum, Winthrop, S (Preseason Setters of the Year)
Brookelynn Thomas, Winthrop, MB/OPP
Avery Jolley, Winthrop, OH
Skylar Yates, Charleston Southern, OH
Shelby Hernandez, Radford, LIB (Preseason Defensive Player of the Year)
2023 BIG SOUTH PRESEASON VOLLEYBALL POLL
| Ranking | Team |
Points |
| 1- High Point (6) |
62 |
| 2- Winthrop (1) |
55 |
| 3- Charleston Southern (1) |
44 |
| 4- Radford |
40 |
| 5- Gardner-Webb |
35 |
| 6- USC Upstate |
20 |
| 7- Presbyterian |
18 |
| 8- UNC Asheville |
14 |
