Troy University Athletics
Troy Picked to Finish 4th in East
8/25/2008 3:45:00 PM | Volleyball
Nationally-ranked Middle
Middle Tennessee, ranked 15th in the Preseason American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Poll, is picked to lead the East Division for the second-straight year. The Blue Raiders closed out the 2007 campaign with the fourth best record in the country at 35-3 (16-1 SBC) behind national champion
For the fourth-consecutive year,
Following Middle Tennessee (77 pts) in the East Division is 2007 NCAA participant WKU (64 pts), FIU (53 pts), Troy (39 pts),
Rosa, the 2008 Sun Belt Conference Preseason Player of the Year and a Preseason All-SBC Team pick, led the league with 516 kills and finished eighth among the nation's best. The two-time AVCA All-American began 2007 as the league's Preseason Player of the Year and is just the fourth player in FIU history to amass 1,000 career kills, reaching the mark before the end of her second season. Last season, she was named AVCA All-Southeast Region, Collegiate Volleyball Update Stellar Spiker and All-Sun Belt, first team for the second year in a row.
Wikierak, the 2008 Sun Belt Conference Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and Preseason All-SBC Team selection, led the Pioneers and the league with 5.26 digs per game last season. She earned All-SBC second team honors and was named SBC Defensive Player of the Week four times, concluding the year as the SBC Defensive Player of the Year. During her rookie season, she recorded five 30-plus dig matches and set a SBC four-game match mark with 34 digs.
In addition to Rosa and Wikierak, six other players joined the duo on the All-Sun Belt Conference Team, including UALR's Amila Baracovic, FIU's Olga Vergun, Middle Tennessee's Ashley Asberry and Leslie Clark, along with WKU's Megan Argabright and Julie Noe.
Barakovic, a two-time All-Sun Belt Conference, led UALR last season to their first 20-win season since 2000, while averaging 3.65 kills and 2.44 digs a game. The only four-year senior on the team, Barakovic is ranked in four UALR career statistical categories. In 2007, she recorded 24 double-digit kill matches, 12 double-digit dig matches, and 12 double-doubles.
Vergun, an All-Sun Belt Conference first team last season, ranked third in the league in kills per game (4.08) and enters her junior season listed ninth at FIU in career kills (795). The Ukrainian import was named MVP of the Stetson Invitational after leading the Golden Panthers to the tournament title with 5.14 kills a game, while hitting at a .311 clip for the event.
Asberry, an Honorable Mention AVCA All-American and All-Sun Belt Conference first team pick in 2007, led the Blue Raiders in solo blocks (12), block assists (179) and total blocks (191). She was also named to the CVU.com Stellar Spikers second team.
Argabright, a three-time AVCA All American, as well as a two-time Collegiate Volleyball Update Stellar Spikers Team member, earned her third All-Sun Belt Conference first team nod in 2007. She ranked third in the league with a .373 hitting percentage, and was also third in kills per game at 4.23, while finishing 25th among Division I players in hitting percentage and 85th in kills a game. She enters her senior season ranked third on WKU's career kills list -- needing just 206 more to own the record.
Noe, earned first-team All-Sun Belt honors in 2007 after leading the Lady Toppers with 1,592 assists. She is just the sixth Lady Topper to record 1,500 assists in a season, while ranking 31st nationally and second in the league, with her 12.74 assists a game. She was named to the Collegiate Volleyball Update Stellar Spikers Team, was a CVU.com National Player of the Week, and set a WKU record with four triple-doubles. Noe enters her final year just three assists shy of 3,000 for her career, and ranks fifth on the Lady Topper career list.
The Troans hit the floor on Friday, August 29 against the University of Colorado in the Mississippi State University Invitational.
PRESEASON ALL-SUN BELT CONFERENCE TEAM
Amila Barakovic, UALR
Kacie Wikierak,
Olga Vergun, FIU
Yarimar Rosa, FIU
Ashley Asberry, Middle
Leslie Clark, Middle
Megan Argabright, WKU
Julia Noe, WKU
PREASEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Yarimar Rosa, FIU
PRESEASON DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Kacie Wikierak,
2008 PRESEASON VOLLEYBALL POLL
EAST
1. Middle
2. WKU, 64 points (1 first place vote)
3. FIU, 53 points
4. Troy, 39 points
5. South Alabama, 21 points
6. Florida Atlantic, 19 points
WEST
1.
2.
3. UALR, 66 points
4.
5. North Texas, 47 points
6. Louisiana-Lafayette, 32 points
7.
