Women’s Volleyball Tabbed Fourth In SAC Poll, Four Named To Preseason Team

ROCK HILL, S.C. — The Tusculum University women’s volleyball team has been voted to finish fourth in the South Atlantic Conference Coaches’ Poll, the league announced today. Individually, four Pioneers were named to the preseason list.

Madison Adkins was named to the second team, while a trio were tabbed to the third team: Martina Foster, Whitney Thompson, and Olivia Crowl.

Adkins, an Olive Hill, Kentucky native, is coming off of a banner year, which included American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-America honorable mention honors. Other athletic laurels include AVCA All-Region, all-conference third team, and SAC All-Tournament Team. Adkins played in 96 sets across all 29 matches in the 2023 title run, recording 64 kills, 860 assists (8.96 per set), 42 service aces (second-most on the team), 223 digs, and 52 total blocks (six solo, 46 assists). She hit double-digit assists in 27-of-29 matches, including 25-straight. The now-senior came one kill shy of a triple-double at Mars Hill with nine kills, 47 assists, and 20 digs (all career highs). Adkins ranks 13th in career assists in the TU record book (1,092).

Foster, a native of Hickory, North Carolina, was also a member of the SAC All-Tournament Team that resulted in the program’s first championship. The now-junior middle blocker was one of three players to compete in all 99 sets in 2023. Foster totaled 157 kills on a .284 hitting percentage, five assists, 17 service aces, 39 digs, and a team-best 100 total blocks (12 solo, 88 assists). She recorded at least one kill in every match and a block in 28-of-29 contests. Her season high of 13 kills came at the perfect time, in the SAC title match against Wingate.

Thompson, out of Arroyo Grande, California, was a vital part of the rotation during her first season in Greeneville. The rising senior right side hitter played in 87 sets across 28 matches, recording 172 kills on a .261 hitting percentage, one assist, 41 digs, and 53 total blocks (third-most on the team). Thompson reached double figures in kills six times and notched at least one block in 21 outings. She matched her season-high 12 kills in the NCAA regional opener.

Crowl, hailing from California, Ky., made herself invaluable in the second half of the season, playing in 61 sets across 21 matches during her inaugural campaign at Tusculum. The rising senior middle blocker recorded 83 kills, two assists, seven digs, and 56 total blocks (11 solo, 45 assists), second-most on the team. Crowl is credited with a block in 19-of-21 contests and landing at least two kills in 20. Her season-high nine kills came in the SAC Championship match, while tying her best seven blocks in the tournament semifinals against Anderson.

The Pioneers received 109 total points in a vote of the conference’s 13 head coaches. For the 19th consecutive season, Wingate has been voted to finish at the top of the league, garnering 143 points and 11 first place nods. Anderson collected the final two first place votes to finish with 126 tallies. Lenoir-Rhyne (120) and Tusculum also reached triple digits, followed by Carson-Newman (96) and Catawba (93). Mars Hill (82) was picked to finish in the middle of the pack at seventh. Limestone (68) sits eighth, ahead of Lincoln Memorial (51), Newberry (44), and Emory & Henry (38). Rounding out the poll are UVA Wise (32) and Coker (12).

First-year head coach Hannah Barrett will have a roster of 24, looking to add another SAC championship to the program’s trophy case. Barrett retains 15 from the title squad who went 22-7 (15-3 SAC), while adding nine to the arsenal (six freshmen and three transfers).

The Pioneers open the season with a pair of out-of-state tournaments before entering the conference stretch: the Redderson Invitational at Lander (Sept. 5-7) and UAH Invitational at Alabama Huntsville (Sept. 12-14).

The 2024 South Atlantic Conference Championship bracket will be based upon conference finish once again. The league’s top eight teams will square off on November 19 at the campus site of the respective higher seed. The SAC Championship semifinals and finals are slated to be held at the Rock Hill Sport and Events Center on Thursday and Friday (Nov. 21-22), respectively.

2024 Women’s Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll

2024 Women’s Volleyball Preseason All-Conference
First Team
Emmaleigh Allen, Lenoir-Rhyne
Laela Jimenez, Mars Hill (L)
Kathy Peter, Lenoir-Rhyne
Emily Johnson, Wingate
Katilyn Grant, Mars Hill
Brantley Chipley, Anderson
Kristen Moehring, Lincoln Memorial
Gabby Saye, Wingate

Second Team
Riley Hill, Catawba (L)
Madison Adkins, Tusculum
Sydney Karjala, Lenoir-Rhyne
Tatum Riddle, Limestone
Kaylee Scarce, UVA Wise
Sydney Morland, Wingate
Mia McMillen, Limestone
Jordan Danielson, Catawba

Third Team
Lyndsie Warren, Lenoir-Rhyne (L)
Martina Foster, Tusculum
Grace Duey, Emory & Henry
Lorna Stacherski, Wingate
Whitney Thompson, Tusculum
Olivia Crowl, Tusculum
Cassidy Farley, UVA Wise
Kelcie Love, Catawba