Above photo by Russell Marwitz/True To The Cru/russellmarwitz.com
BELTON- The UMHB volleyball team will be the team to beat when the 2022 season begins, as the Crusaders enter the fall picked to win the conference.
In the ASC’s Preseason Poll conducted by league head coaches and sports information directors, the Cru picked up 16 first-place votes and 160 points, coming in No. 1. League rival UT-Dallas, the ASC Tournament champions a year ago, received the final two first-place votes, and was 17 points behind UMHB in second place. Rounding out the top three was ETBU, with 114 points.
The complete ASC Preseason Poll is listed below, with each team’s points in parentheses:
- UMHB (160)
- UT-Dallas (143)
- ETBU (114)
- Concordia (TX) (84)
- LeTourneau (78)
- Sul Ross State (75)
- Hardin-Simmons (67)
- McMurry (59)
- Howard Payne (21)
Additionally, the Cru had two players on the ASC’s “Players to Watch” list in junior outside hitters Hannah Frasca and Kaylie Vasil. Frasca has been a key contributor to UMHB’s offense the last two seasons, with consecutive all-conference selections and the ASC Tournament MVP award in 2020. She played in all 90 sets for UMHB last season, leading the team in kills (310) and attacks (1031). Vasil, a transfer from McMurry who made her UMHB debut with the beach volleyball team in the spring, should aid the offensive attack with her skill set. As a sophomore at McMurry last fall, she led the Warhawks in kills (225), and started 18 matches. In a match against Hardin-Simmons, the native of Midlothian, Texas recorded three season-highs with 21 kills, 23 points and 19 digs.
UMHB went 24-2 last season, winning the ASC regular season title. The Crusaders open the upcoming season at home, hosting a five-team, round-robin tournament that includes Howard Payne, Centenary, Schreiner, and Hendrix College, from Sept. 1-3.
