Angelo State favored to claim 2021 LSC volleyball title

LSC Communications

Angelo State is the top choice to repeat as Lone Star Conference champions, according to the 2021 LSC volleyball preseason poll announced Monday.

The league’s preseason poll reflects the views of LSC head coaches and sports information directors, plus various media representatives from throughout the region.

ASU garnered 771 total points and received 31 of the 44 first-place votes in the poll. The Rambelles are looking to claim their third straight LSC titles, including the Spring 2021 crown with a 16-2 overall and 10-2 league record.

UTT earned the No. 2 spot in the preseason poll with 739 points and seven top votes, while Texas A&M-Kingsville was third with 686 points and three first-place nods, West Texas A&M fourth with 649 points, and UAFS fifth (627).

Texas A&M-Commerce (562), St. Edward’s (458), Midwestern State (423), Texas Woman’s (416), UT Permian Basin (409 and two top votes), Texas A&M International (386), and Oklahoma Christian (301) rounded out the top 12 in the preseason poll.

In addition to the poll, three individuals were selected for preseason awards. ASU’s Kailyn Gilbreath was named Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, Texas A&M-Kingsville’s Ayanna Jackson earned Preseason Defensive Player of the Year honors, and the Javelinas Emily Witt was tabbed Preseason Setter of the Year.

Gilbreath, a graduate student from Fort Worth, Texas, is the reigning LSC Player of the Year. She ranked third in the LSC with 3.52 kills per set while hitting at a .262 clip in Spring 2021.

Jackson, a freshman from San Antonio, Texas, earned LSC Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year honors last season. She led the league in blocks with 1.29 per set last season to help the Javelinas to a 13-1 overall record.

Witt, a junior from Rose Hill, Kansas, was tabbed the Spring 2021 Setter of the Year. She paced the LSC in assists with 10.07 per set in Spring 2021 as the Javelinas posted a 13-1 overall record.

The 2021 volleyball season starts in early September, with 18 teams set to compete. The LSC is utilizing a single round-robin scheduling model, in which every team plays a single game versus each conference team.

The LSC champion will be determined by regular season games, while the postseason tournament winner is designated as LSC tournament champion and earns the conference’s automatic qualification. The top 12 teams will qualify for the postseason tournament with the opening round on campus Tuesday, Nov. 16, and the final eight teams at the No. 1 seed on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, November 18-19-20.

Here is the complete poll:

2021 LSC Volleyball Preseason Poll