West Texas A&M is the favorite to claim the Lone Star Conference championship, according to the 2022 LSC volleyball preseason poll announced Tuesday.
The league's preseason poll and awards reflects the opinions of LSC head coaches, sports information directors, and various media representatives from throughout the region.
WT collected 707 total points with 21 of the 44 first-place votes in the poll. The Lady Buffs captured the LSC tournament championship and South Central Regional titles in 2021 with a 26-5 overall record.
Angelo State ranked second by a slim margin with 699 points and 11 top votes, while UT Tyler was third with 680 points and seven first-place nods.
Lubbock Christian was fourth with 586 points, followed by DBU in fifth place with 560 points and three top votes, and UT Permian Basin sixth with 491 points and two first-place nods. St. Edward's (474), UAFS (460), St. Mary's (364), and Texas A&M-Kingsville (363) rounded out the top 10 in the preseason poll.
In addition to the poll, three individuals were selected for preseason awards. WT’S Torrey Miller was named Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, TAMUK’s Nicole Murff earned Preseason Defensive Player of the Year honors, and the Lady Buffs Blair Moreland was tabbed Preseason Setter of the Year.
Miller, a junior from Brownwood, Texas, claimed first team All-LSC honors and AVCA All-American honorable mention in 2021 after leading the Lady Buffs to the program’s 16th LSC tournament title, regional crown, and the Division II Volleyball Championship. She led the league in kills with 455 (4.14 per set) including a season-best 33 kills in the regional final.
Murff, a senior from San Antonio, Texas, captured first team All-LSC honors last season. She led the LSC in digs per set with 5.42 with a season-high 35 digs.
Moreland, a sophomore from Katy, Texas, was an LSC all-freshman team selection in 2021. She helped WT win their 16th LSC tournament championship and the regional title with 567 assists (5.56 per set) with a season-high 33 assists and season-best 15 digs in the regional championship.
Additionally, 41 players - 14 offensive, 14 defensive, and 13 setters - were selected for the first LSC volleyball preseason players to watch list. The student-athletes were nominated by their member institution for recognition.
The 2022 volleyball season starts in late August, with 17 teams set to compete. The LSC is utilizing a single round-robin scheduling model, in which each team plays a single game versus every other conference team.
The LSC champion will be determined by the 16 regular season games, while the postseason tournament winner is designated as LSC tournament champion and earns the conference’s automatic qualification. The top eight teams will qualify for the postseason tournament at the No. 1 seed on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, November 10-11-12.
2022 LSC Volleyball Preseason Poll
| Rank |
Team |
1st |
Total |
| 1 |
West Texas A&M |
21 |
707 |
| 2 |
Angelo State |
11 |
699 |
| 3 |
UT Tyler |
7 |
680 |
| 4 |
Lubbock Christian |
|
586 |
| 5 |
DBU |
3 |
560 |
| 6 |
UT Permian Basin |
2 |
491 |
| 7 |
St. Edward's |
|
474 |
| 8 |
UAFS |
|
460 |
| 9 |
St. Mary's |
|
364 |
| 10 |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
|
363 |
| 11 |
Oklahoma Christian |
|
334 |
| 12 |
Texas Woman's |
|
283 |
| 13 |
Eastern New Mexico |
|
222 |
| 14 |
Texas A&M International |
|
188 |
| 15 |
Midwestern State |
|
145 |
| 16 |
Western New Mexico |
|
120 |
| 17 |
Cameron |
|
56 |
LSC Volleyball Preseason Offensive Players to Watch
| Name |
School |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Major |
Hometown/High School |
| Elsa Lamphere |
Angelo State |
JR |
OH |
Interdisciplinary Studies |
Aurora, Colo./Grandview HS |
| Arianna Navarrete |
Cameron |
JR |
OH |
Psychology |
Tucson, Ariz./St. Augustine Catholic HS |
| Mikaela Garvin |
Eastern New Mexico |
SO |
OH |
Public Relations |
San Antonio, Texas/Harlan HS |
| Aaliyah Gray |
Lubbock Christian |
SO |
OH |
ESS/Athletic Training |
Lubbock, Texas/Coronado HS |
| Aaliyah Burras |
Midwestern State |
SR |
MH |
Masters of Business Administration |
Westwego, La./Isidore Newman HS |
| Hannah Rouse |
Oklahoma Christian |
SR |
OH |
Biology |
Newcastle, Okla./New Castle HS |
| Caroline Swan |
St. Edward's |
SR |
OH/RS |
Psychology |
McKinney, Texas/McKinney HS |
| Jackie Alanis |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
JR |
OH |
Biomedical Science |
McAllen, Texas/James Nikki Rowe HS |
| Luna Van Baars |
Texas Woman's |
JR |
OH |
Psychology |
Tillburg, Netherlands/Tilburg University |
| Hannah Holland |
UAFS |
JR |
MB |
Middle Childhood Education |
Fort Smith, Ark./Southside HS |
| Aquincia Strambler |
UT Permian Basin |
SR |
OH/RS |
Biology |
Midland, Texas/Lee HS |
| Mikayla Ware |
UT Tyler |
SR |
OH |
Criminal Justice |
San Antonio, Texas/Clark HS |
| Torrey Miller |
West Texas A&M |
JR |
OH |
Biology |
Brownwood, Texas/Brownwood HS |
| Bria Augustine |
Western New Mexico |
SR |
OH |
Kinesiology |
Bellflower, Calif./Mayfair HS |
LSC Volleyball Preseason Defensive Players to Watch
| Name |
School |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Major |
Hometown/High School |
| Grace White |
Angelo State |
SR |
MB |
Applied Psychology |
Helotes, Texas/Antonian Prep |
| Meagan Jimenez |
Cameron |
JR |
DS/L |
Business |
Lubbock, Texas/Monterey HS |
| Gracelyn Stubbs |
Eastern New Mexico |
SR |
MB |
Physical Education |
Albuquerque, N.M./Eldorado HS |
| Sage Chain |
Lubbock Christian |
SR |
MB |
Animal Science / Pre-Veterinary |
Schertz, Texas/Clemens HS |
| Amy DeWalt |
Midwestern State |
SO |
DS |
Education |
San Antonio, Texas/Brandeis HS |
| Brylie Berryman |
Oklahoma Christian |
SO |
DS |
Biology |
Amarillo, Texas/Amarillo Tacosa HS |
| Sarah Konovodoff |
St. Edward's |
JR |
L/DS |
Business |
Sugar Grove, Ill./Rosary HS |
| Nicole Murff |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
SR |
DS |
Accounting |
San Antonio, Texas/Antonian College Prep |
| Trixie Oche |
Texas Woman's |
SR |
MB |
Kinesiology-Exercise Science/Pre-PT |
Richardson, Texas/Berkner HS |
| Lauren Weber |
UAFS |
JR |
L/DS |
Business Administration |
Nixa, Mo./Nixa HS |
| Daylee Doggett |
UT Permian Basin |
JR |
DS |
Nursing |
Justin, Texas/Northwest HS |
| Savannah Guzman |
UT Tyler |
SR |
DS |
Business Administration |
San Antonio, Texas/Antonian College Prep |
| Kayla Elliott |
West Texas A&M |
SR |
MB |
Biology |
Wildomar, Calif./Elsinore HS |
| Jazmyn Walker |
Western New Mexico |
JR |
OH |
Nursing |
Las Vegas, Nev./Legacy HS |
LSC Volleyball Preseason Setters to Watch
| Name |
School |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Major |
Hometown/High School |
| Laney Dale |
Angelo State |
SO |
S |
Business Management |
Brock, Texas/Brock HS |
| Alice Tuci |
Cameron |
FR |
S |
Undecided |
Belo Horizonte, Brazil/Colegio Loyola Jesuitas |
| Qitana Sapiga |
Eastern New Mexico |
SR |
S |
Communications |
Long Beach, Calif./Los Alamitos HS |
| Kayton Genenbacher |
Lubbock Christian |
SO |
S |
Biology |
Lubbock, Texas/Frenship HS |
| Autumn Roach |
Midwestern State |
JR |
S |
Sport and Leisure Studies |
Fort Worth, Texas/Chisholm Trail HS |
| Olivia Hessman |
Oklahoma Christian |
SR |
S |
Exercise Science |
Wichita, Kan./Andover HS |
| Esther Grussing |
St. Edward's |
SR |
S |
Business |
Willmar, Minn./Willmar HS |
| Cali Nims |
St. Mary's |
SO |
S |
Humanities |
Corpus Christi, Texas/Flower Mound HS |
| Sydney Whitmere |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
SO |
S |
Pre-engineering |
Tarkington, Texas/Tarkington HS |
| Lizzy Reed |
Texas Woman's |
SO |
S |
Kinesiology |
Frisco, Texas/Memorial HS |
| Chloe Price |
UAFS |
JR |
S |
Organizational Leadership |
Siloam Springs, Ark./Siloam Springs HS |
| Blair Moreland |
West Texas A&M |
SO |
S |
Equine Industry and Business |
Katy, Texas/Saint John XXII HS |
| Madelynn Culp |
Western New Mexico |
SR |
S |
Accounting |
Vancouver, Wash./Union HS |