RICHARDSON, Texas –
The University of Texas at Dallas and the
University of Mary Hardin-Baylor have been picked to win the 2018 American Southwest Conference Volleyball East and West Division titles, respectively, after a vote of the league's head coaches and sports information directors the conference office announced Monday (Aug. 13).
UT Dallas (24-11 / 13-3 ASC) led the East Division with 115 points in the preseason poll and received all 23 first place votes. Head Coach
Marci Allison and the Comets enter the season as the three-time defending ASC champions and are coming off a trip to the NCAA Division III Championship.
Mary Hardin-Baylor (28-5 / 15-1 ASC) led the West Division with 133 points in the preseason poll and received 19 out of a possible 23 first place votes. Head Coach
Rob Frost and the Cru have won the West Division the past three seasons and were the runner-up of the 2017 ASC Championship.
Twenty-two players are among those to watch in the 2018 season. Nominated by the head coaches, the watch list includes five players who earned All-Conference honors and 10 All-Division award recipients.
Season Notes
- McMurry University becomes a full member of NCAA Division III and will be eligible for the ASC and NCAA Championships.
- Belhaven University will be eligible for the regular season title, but will be ineligible for the ASC Championship and NCAA Division III Championship. The Blazers are in their final year as a NCAA provisional member.
- University of Texas at Tyler will not count in the conference standing or be eligible for the NCAA and ASC Championships due to reclassifying to NCAA Division II. Patriot student-athletes will be eligible for all awards.
- Regular season play will begin Friday, August 31. The ASC Championship is scheduled for November 1-3 and will be hosted at the site of the West Division No. 1 seed. An automatic berth to NCAA Division III Championship will be on the line.
ASC Volleyball Preseason Poll
East Division
| Rank |
Team (1st) |
Pts. |
2017 Record (ASC) |
| 1. |
UT Dallas (23) |
115 |
24-11 (13-3) |
| 2. |
East Texas Baptist |
91 |
13-19 (8-8) |
| 3. |
LeTourneau |
61 |
10-22 (4-12) |
| 4. |
Belhaven # |
53 |
13-17 (7-9) |
| 5. |
Louisiana College |
25 |
2-23 (0-16) |
|
UT Tyler & |
|
22-8 (12-4) |
# Eligible for ASC regular-season title, ineligible for ASC Championship/NCAA Division III Championship Tournaments (NCAA Division III Provisional)
& # Ineligible for ASC regular season title, ASC Championship/NCAA Division III Championship Tournaments (NCAA Division II Reclassifying)
West Division
| Rank |
Team (1st) |
Pts. |
2017 Record (ASC) |
| 1. |
Mary Hardin-Baylor (19) |
133 |
28-5 (15-1) |
| 2. |
Concordia Texas |
92 |
19-14 (10-6) |
| 3. |
McMurry (3) |
90 |
24-10 (11-5) |
| 4. |
Hardin-Simmons (1) |
76 |
15-17 (9-7) |
| 5. |
Howard Payne |
51 |
9-20 (6-10) |
| 6. |
Sul Ross State |
24 |
3-24 (1-15) |
ASC Volleyball Players to Watch List
East Division
| Name |
Pos. |
Cl. |
Team |
Hometown |
| Meredith Augsburger |
S |
So. |
East Texas Baptist |
Burleson, Texas |
| Kianna Crow |
OH/RS |
Fr. |
LeTourneau |
Spring, Texas |
| Reighanna Guzman E |
S |
Sr. |
UT Tyler |
San Antonio, Texas |
| Ryan Hardin |
RS |
Sr. |
Belhaven |
Alpine, Texas |
| Niajia Huval |
MB |
Fr. |
Louisiana College |
Breaux Bridge, La. |
| Sadi Jones |
MB |
So. |
Louisiana College |
Breaux Bridge, La. |
| Samantha Lee E |
MB |
Sr. |
UT Tyler |
Georgetown, Texas |
| Paige Miller E |
OH |
Sr. |
East Texas Baptist |
Kerrville, Texas |
| Lauren Schilling * E |
MB |
Jr. |
UT Dallas |
San Antonio, Texas |
| Caroline Shecterle *E |
S |
Jr. |
UT Dallas |
Pearland, Texas |
| Taylor Smith |
OH/DS |
Fr. |
LeTourneau |
Atoscocita, Texas |
| Lauren Whiting |
OH |
Sr. |
Belhaven |
Southaven, Miss. |
West Division
| Name |
Cl. |
Pos. |
Team |
Hometown |
| Zhartaezia Bradley *W |
MB |
Sr. |
Howard Payne |
Austin, Texas |
| Kailey Doering |
OH |
Jr. |
Howard Payne |
Little Elm, Texas |
| Justice McGowan *W |
MB |
Jr. |
McMurry |
Waco, Texas |
| Ashley Pierce |
S |
Jr. |
Hardin-Simmons |
Abilene, Texas |
| Morgan Prince W |
RS |
Sr. |
Hardin-Simmons |
Lubbock, Texas |
| Georgia Quiroz |
S |
So. |
Concordia Texas |
Georgetown, Texas |
| Odalis Rodriguez W |
L |
Sr. |
McMurry |
El Paso, Texas |
| Jordan Scherer |
OH |
So. |
Sul Ross State |
Round Rock, Texas |
| Marissa Stinson *W |
MB |
Jr. |
Concordia Texas |
Pearland, Texas |
| Hannah Zly |
L |
Jr. |
Sul Ross State |
Killeen, Texas |
2017 All-ASC Selection*
2017 East Division Selection E
2017 West Division Selection W