With UMHB volleyball’s season opener just 10 days away, the American Southwest Conference released its preseason poll on Tuesday afternoon, putting East Texas Baptist at No. 1 followed by The Cru at No. 2. UMHB and ETBU finished the 2023 season as ASC co-regular season champions, and ETBU won the league’s tournament, advancing to the NCAAs, where the Tigers reached the second round.
ETBU tallied 47 points from the panel of head coaches and sports information directors—10 voters represented the conference’s five programs—with seven first-place votes. Three ballots had UMHB at No. 1, as the Crusaders earned 37 points. Hardin-Simmons ended up eight points behind UMHB, with 29, in third place. LeTourneau and Howard Payne rounded out the poll, with 19 and 18 points, respectively.
ASC volleyball saw just two teams—ETBU and UMHB—finish above .500 overall last season, and all indications point towards the Tigers and Crusaders putting together strong campaigns once again. UMHB went 27-2 in 2023, with a 13-1 record in conference play, and has posted an overall winning percentage of above .900 in two of the last three years.
The Cru has a challenging schedule in the coming season, considering 20 of their 29 matches will be played away from Belton. That includes back-to-back weekends playing out-of-state, as UMHB opens the year with four matches in Oregon on August 30-31 followed by four matches in Superior, Wisconsin on September 6-7.
ASC Volleyball Preseason Poll (Total points in parentheses)
- ETBU (47)
- UMHB (37)
- Hardin-Simmons (29)
- LeTourneau (19)
- Howard Payne (18)
Along with the release of the preseason poll came the conference’s Players to Watch List. UMHB was represented by sophomore setter/outside hitter Kendall Harrington, the ASC’s 2023 Freshman of the Year, and junior middle Dravyn Hurd.
Harrington, who was also the ASC’s Setter of the Year last season, averaged 5.14 assists/set in her first collegiate season, and added 1.60 kills/set. Hurd also stepped up in a big way for UMHB last fall, and led the ASC in hitting percentage (.335) in addition to her 1.19 blocks/set, which ranked 14th in the nation. Both Harrington and Hurd were First Team All-ASC honorees at the conclusion of last season.
