CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Big South Conference announced its 2025 Big South Preseason Volleyball All-Conference Team and Preseason Volleyball Poll on Tuesday afternoon. The Eagles were picked to finish first in the preseason poll with a total of four first place votes, and 59 points. Conference championship opponent High Point also collected four first place votes and garnered 59 points for a two-way tie atop the preseason poll.
This poll marks the first time since 2007 that Winthrop has landed in the first-place spot in the preseason voting and the sixth in program history.
Winthrop finished last season with a 16-11 overall record, holding a 12-2 mark in Big South Conference play, earning the second seed in the 2024 Big South Championship tournament. Under the first three seasons, head coach Heather Gearhart has posted a conference winning percentage of .818 en route to two Big South title match berths.
Avery Jolley becomes the sixth player in Winthrop history to be honored with Big South Preseason Player of the Year, the latest since Siani Yamaguchi in 2019. The 2024 First-Team All-Conference and Big South Female Scholar Athlete of the Year awardee returns for her senior campaign after finishing second in the conference for kills per set with 3.64 and third in attacks per set with 11.39. Jolley played in all 27 matches for the Eagles, with 19 matches in double figures in kills, 12 matches in double figures in digs and ten matches with a double-double. With her efforts on and off the court, she was named to the Big South All-Academic team and the CSC All-District team.
Isabella Murray takes home her second-straight Preseason Setter of the Year after sharing the honors with teammate Rachel McCollum in the 2023 Preseason Awards. Murray continues her storied career with the Eagles, after being named the Big South Freshman of the Year in 2022 along with All-Freshman team honors on top of Second Team All-Conference. This past year, Murray led the conference in assists per set with 10.58 and ranked first in total assists with 963. For her efforts she took home a multitude of accolades, VCU Invitational All-Tournament Team, CSC Academic All-District honors, seven-time Big South Setter of the Week winner of the week, Winthrop's first ever Big South Setter of the Week recipient, First Team All-Conference, and topped off by being the first ever Eagle to win the Big South Setter of the Year award. Murray recorded 21 matches with more than 30 digs, 16 matches in double figures in digs and had 16 matches with a double-double en route to ranking 7th in career assists in school history with 2,905.
Sophia Matthews is the first Eagle to notch the Preseason Libero of the Year honors, sharing the 2025 award with Michelle Thao from UNC Asheville. Matthews has already racked up the accolades in only one year donning the garnet and gold, being named to the Black and Gold Invitational All-Tournament Team, Big South Libero of the Week (Oct. 14) and (Nov. 18), set the all-time individual record for most digs in a three-set match with 33, she ranks 3rd in career digs in school history for a freshman in a single season with 397. In 23 matches, she recorded double-digit digs in every match for Big South All-Freshman Team and the Big South All-Tournament Team, with 5.03 digs per set and 397 total digs, marks good enough for second and sixth in the conference, respectfully.
Giselle Little rounds out the preseason honors, capturing a spot on the Preseason All-Conference Team. Another standout freshman, she was awarded Big South Co-Freshman of the Week (Nov. 14), Honorable Mention All-Conference and the Big South All-Freshman Team. Her hitting percentage of .374 currently ranks 4th in school history in a single season and currently ranks 1st in career hitting percentage in school history as well as ranking 2nd in single season history for hitting percentage by a freshman. Her .374 hitting clip ranked third in the Big South, along with 2.06 kills per set for a top 25 mark in conference.
Below is the full Preseason All-Conference Team with Honors and Preseason Poll:
2025 BIG SOUTH PRESEASON VOLLEYBALL ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM
Avery Jolley, Winthrop, OH/OPP (Preseason Player of the Year)
Isabella Murray, Winthrop, S (Preseason Setter of the Year)
Kylie Cackovic, UNC Asheville, OH
Ady O'Grady, USC Upstate, MB
Savannah Page, USC Upstate, RS
Giselle Little, Winthrop, MB
Kamyla Vega David, USC Upstate, S
Michelle Thao, UNC Asheville, LIB (Preseason Co-Libero of the Year)
Sophia Matthews, Winthrop, DS (Preseason Co-Libero of the Year)
2025 BIG SOUTH PRESEASON VOLLEYBALL POLL
Rk Team (first-place votes) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Points
T-1. High Point (4) 4 3 1 - - - - - 59
T-1. Winthrop (4) 4 3 1 - - - - - 59
3. USC Upstate - 1 4 2 - 1 - - 44
4. UNC Asheville - - 2 4 1 1 - - 39
5. Radford - 1 - - 6 1 - - 34
6. Charleston Southern - - - 1 1 4 2 - 25
7. Presbyterian College - - - 1 - 1 3 3 17
8. Gardner-Webb - - - - - - 3 5 11
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.
