Rock Hill, S.C. – The Winthrop Eagles Volleyball program was picked to finish second in the Big South this season, the league announced Tuesday.
The Eagles received 57 points with one first-place vote. This is the second straight season Winthrop has been picked to finish runner-up. Winthrop last won the league title in 2019.
Heather Gearhart enters her second season as the permanent head coach after spending the 2022 campaign in an interim role. Gearhart has been with the program since the fall of 2020, starting out as an assistant coach. Winthrop finished 14-14 (12-2 Big South) in 2023, finishing second in the regular-season standings, advanced to the championship match of the Big South tournament. The Eagles also made their first post-season appearance since 2019 with a berth to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC).
Senior setter
Isabella Murray and junior outside hitter
Avery Jolley were also named to the Preseason All-Conference Team. Although the Eagles lost several key players off last year's roster, several standouts return. Junior outside hitter
Karli Shepherd, Murray, senior defensive specialist
Rylie McMahen, junior middle blocker
Lexie Vick and Jolley all played big roles last season and will be counted on for production this fall.
Last season, Jolley was named second team all-conference in a season in which she had 15 matches in double figures in kills, 11 matches in double figures in digs and eight matches with double-doubles in kills and digs. Her best match of the season came at USC Upstate on Nov. 4, posting a season-high 19 kills, three aces and 15 digs. Jolley led the team in kills. Jolley was also second on the team in digs, fourth in aces and fifth in both assists and blocks. She was named to the Gator Invitational All-Tournament Team on Sep. 9. Jolley finished the season with 283 kills, 19 assists, 18 aces, 227 digs, 31 blocks and 319 points.
Murray was also named second team all-conference for the second straight year. Last year Murray had two matches with more than 50 assists and eight matches with more than 40 assists. Murray also had 11 matches in double figures in digs. Her best match of the season came at Presbyterian on Oct. 7, in which she had a season-high five aces and 52 assists. Murray led the team in both aces and assists. She also finished second on the team in blocks, third in digs and fifth in kills. She won the Big South Player of the Week Award on Nov. 13 and finished the season with 64 kills, 897 assists, 24 aces, 227 digs, 44 blocks and 112 points.
Sychterz earned a spot on the all-freshman team. She had her best match of the season at Presbyterian on Oct. 7, notching 11 kills and two digs. Sychterz finished the season with 54 kills, 22 blocks and 68 blocks.
Shepherd was named to the all-academic team for the first time in her career in addition to her honorable mention all-conference awards she won in 2021 and 2022 and being named to the all-freshman team in 2021. Last year she had 10 matches in double figures in kills, two matches in double figures in digs and in double doubles in kills and digs. Shepherd was at her best vs. South Carolina at home on Sep. 16, posting a season-high 16 kills and 16 digs. Shepherd was third on the team in kills. Shepherd finished the season with 215 kills, 118 digs, 13 aces and 24 blocks.
Winthrop opens the regular season with Virginia Tech at home on Thursday, Aug. 30 at 6 p.m. Season and single-game tickets can be purchased
HERE.
2024 BIG SOUTH PRESEASON VOLLEYBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Dylan Maberry, High Point, OH (Preseason Player of the Year)
Eve Wilson, High Point, MB
Avery Jolley, Winthrop, OH
Allie Gray, High Point, S (Preseason Setter of the Year)
Ady O'Grady, USC Upstate, MB
Jordyn Schilling, High Point, LIB (Preseason Libero of the Year)
Isabella Murray, Winthrop, S
2024 BIG SOUTH PRESEASON VOLLEYBALL POLL
| Ranking | Team |
Points |
| 1- High Point (7) |
63 |
| 2- Winthrop (1) |
57 |
| 3- Presbyterian College |
44 |
| 4- USC Upstate |
40 |
| 5- Radford |
31 |
| 6- Charleston Southern |
21 |
| 7- Gardner-Webb |
19 |
| 8- UNC Asheville |
13 |
Note: points are based on a weighted system, with first-place votes receiving 8 points, followed by 7 points for second-place, and so on.
