Liberty Picked 4th in CUSA Preseason Volleyball Poll
8/22/2024 1:02:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Liberty has been voted to finish fourth in the Conference USA (CUSA) Preseason Volleyball Poll, released Thursday by the league office. The poll was voted on by all 10 conference head coaches.
Additionally, senior outside hitter Kamryn Bacus and senior middle blocker Madison Blane were both named to the CUSA Volleyball Preseason All-Conference Team. For the second year in a row, Bacus was named to the CUSA Volleyball Preseason All-Conference Team.
Kennesaw State joins Conference USA this season, bringing membership to 10 programs.
Western Kentucky was voted the preseason favorite after posting its fifth straight unbeaten regular-season Conference USA record in 2023. WKU won the CUSA Volleyball Championship, sweeping New Mexico State in the final in order to make its fifth straight NCAA Volleyball Championship appearance last year.
New Mexico State, last year's conference runner-up, was selected second, with two first-place votes, while UTEP was voted third. Liberty sits fourth in preseason voting, while Middle Tennessee, FIU, conference newcomer Kennesaw State, Jacksonville State, Louisiana Tech and Sam Houston follow fifth through 10th to round out the voting.
Last year, the Lady Flames finished with a 15-14 record, including 8-8 in Conference USA play, earning the fifth seed for the 2023 Conference USA Volleyball Championship. The Lady Flames opened the season with a seven-match winning streak, a stretch which included wins over NCAA Tournament teams High Point, Yale and Hawai'i. Liberty's 3-2 win at Hawai'i on Sept. 7 marked the first win over a Top 25 team in program history.
A native of Edmond, Okla., Kamryn Bacus was named a second team all-conference selection for the second year in a row last year. She finished the 2023 season ranked second in Conference USA in kills per set (3.72) and points per set (4.37) overall while ranking fourth in both stats in conference play. Bacus posted a team-leading 17 double-digit kill matches, including five 20-kill contests and five double-doubles. Her career-high 25 kills at Hawai'i were the most by a Lady Flame since Amelia Johnson's 29 against North Alabama on Nov. 3, 2019. Twice during the season, she registered back-to-back 20-kill matches. The senior scored her 1,000th career kill on Oct. 20 against FIU.
Blane, a native of Montgomery, Texas, was named 2023 CUSA Defensive Player of the Year while also being named to the CUSA All-Conference first team. For the season, Blane led CUSA in hitting percentage (.418 – 10th nationally) and is second in blocks per set (1.30 – 26th nationally). She has reached double figures in kills 12 times, including 11 10-kill matches in conference play. Blane became the first Liberty player since Loren Thomas in 2012 to hit .600 or better (minimum 12 kills) twice in the same year. The middle blocker posted five or more blocks 16 times during the campaign. She set a new program single-season record for hitting percentage (.418) during the rally-scoring era.
Liberty opens its 2024 schedule on Aug. 30 against Iowa as part of the Puerto Rico Invitational. The Lady Flames play at Louisiana Tech, Sept. 27-28, to begin their CUSA schedule.
The CUSA Volleyball Championship will be hosted by UTEP from Nov. 22-24 in El Paso, Texas, with the winner of the eight-team tournament earning the CUSA's automatic berth to the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship.
2024 Conference USA Preseason Volleyball Poll (First Place Votes)
1. Western Kentucky (8)
2. New Mexico State (2)
3. UTEP
4. Liberty
5. Middle Tennessee
6. FIU
7. Kennesaw State
8. Jacksonville State
9. Louisiana Tech
10. Sam Houston
CUSA Preseason All-Conference Team
Manu Johnson, OH, Kennesaw State
Kamryn Bacus, OH, Liberty
Madison Blane, MB, Liberty
Adri Rhoda, OH, Middle Tennessee
Yasso Amin, OH, New Mexico State
Mari Sharpe, OH/RS, New Mexico State
Darian Markham, L, New Mexico State
Ryleigh Whitekettle, RS, New Mexico State
Danika Washington, MB, UTEP
Kaya Weaver, MB, UTEP
Callie Bauer, S, Western Kentucky
Kaylee Cox, OH, Western Kentucky
Kenadee Coyle, R-So., Western Kentucky
Preseason Player of the Year: Kaylee Cox, WKU, Sr., OH
Additionally, senior outside hitter Kamryn Bacus and senior middle blocker Madison Blane were both named to the CUSA Volleyball Preseason All-Conference Team. For the second year in a row, Bacus was named to the CUSA Volleyball Preseason All-Conference Team.
Kennesaw State joins Conference USA this season, bringing membership to 10 programs.
Western Kentucky was voted the preseason favorite after posting its fifth straight unbeaten regular-season Conference USA record in 2023. WKU won the CUSA Volleyball Championship, sweeping New Mexico State in the final in order to make its fifth straight NCAA Volleyball Championship appearance last year.
New Mexico State, last year's conference runner-up, was selected second, with two first-place votes, while UTEP was voted third. Liberty sits fourth in preseason voting, while Middle Tennessee, FIU, conference newcomer Kennesaw State, Jacksonville State, Louisiana Tech and Sam Houston follow fifth through 10th to round out the voting.
Last year, the Lady Flames finished with a 15-14 record, including 8-8 in Conference USA play, earning the fifth seed for the 2023 Conference USA Volleyball Championship. The Lady Flames opened the season with a seven-match winning streak, a stretch which included wins over NCAA Tournament teams High Point, Yale and Hawai'i. Liberty's 3-2 win at Hawai'i on Sept. 7 marked the first win over a Top 25 team in program history.
A native of Edmond, Okla., Kamryn Bacus was named a second team all-conference selection for the second year in a row last year. She finished the 2023 season ranked second in Conference USA in kills per set (3.72) and points per set (4.37) overall while ranking fourth in both stats in conference play. Bacus posted a team-leading 17 double-digit kill matches, including five 20-kill contests and five double-doubles. Her career-high 25 kills at Hawai'i were the most by a Lady Flame since Amelia Johnson's 29 against North Alabama on Nov. 3, 2019. Twice during the season, she registered back-to-back 20-kill matches. The senior scored her 1,000th career kill on Oct. 20 against FIU.
Blane, a native of Montgomery, Texas, was named 2023 CUSA Defensive Player of the Year while also being named to the CUSA All-Conference first team. For the season, Blane led CUSA in hitting percentage (.418 – 10th nationally) and is second in blocks per set (1.30 – 26th nationally). She has reached double figures in kills 12 times, including 11 10-kill matches in conference play. Blane became the first Liberty player since Loren Thomas in 2012 to hit .600 or better (minimum 12 kills) twice in the same year. The middle blocker posted five or more blocks 16 times during the campaign. She set a new program single-season record for hitting percentage (.418) during the rally-scoring era.
Liberty opens its 2024 schedule on Aug. 30 against Iowa as part of the Puerto Rico Invitational. The Lady Flames play at Louisiana Tech, Sept. 27-28, to begin their CUSA schedule.
The CUSA Volleyball Championship will be hosted by UTEP from Nov. 22-24 in El Paso, Texas, with the winner of the eight-team tournament earning the CUSA's automatic berth to the NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball Championship.
2024 Conference USA Preseason Volleyball Poll (First Place Votes)
1. Western Kentucky (8)
2. New Mexico State (2)
3. UTEP
4. Liberty
5. Middle Tennessee
6. FIU
7. Kennesaw State
8. Jacksonville State
9. Louisiana Tech
10. Sam Houston
CUSA Preseason All-Conference Team
Manu Johnson, OH, Kennesaw State
Kamryn Bacus, OH, Liberty
Madison Blane, MB, Liberty
Adri Rhoda, OH, Middle Tennessee
Yasso Amin, OH, New Mexico State
Mari Sharpe, OH/RS, New Mexico State
Darian Markham, L, New Mexico State
Ryleigh Whitekettle, RS, New Mexico State
Danika Washington, MB, UTEP
Kaya Weaver, MB, UTEP
Callie Bauer, S, Western Kentucky
Kaylee Cox, OH, Western Kentucky
Kenadee Coyle, R-So., Western Kentucky
Preseason Player of the Year: Kaylee Cox, WKU, Sr., OH
Kamryn Bacus and Madison Blane were both named to the @ConferenceUSA Preseason All-Conference Team! pic.twitter.com/43uR9Dpb5N
— Liberty Volleyball (@LibertyWVB) August 22, 2024
Players Mentioned
OH
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