Rock Hill, S.C.----For the 18th straight season, the Wingate University Bulldogs have been chosen as the preseason favorites in the South Atlantic Conference volleyball coach's poll, which was released Wednesday morning. In addition, four Bulldogs are preseason All-SAC honorees. Maggie Young and Emily Johnson are preseason first team all-conference selections, with Maggie Mullen and Gabby Saye earning second team accolades.

Wingate is the favorite, collecting 11 of the 13 first-place votes. Carson-Newman is second, picking up the other two first-place votes. Anderson is third, followed by Lenoir-Rhyne, Tusculum, Mars Hill, Newberry and Catawba. Limestone is ninth, with LMU, Emory & Henry, Coker and UVA Wise rounding out the poll.

Winners of 29 total SAC titles since 2006, the 'Dogs went 32-3 overall in 2022, with a 17-1 record in SAC play to capture the regular season SAC title. The Bulldogs went on to capture the SAC Tournament championship, earned regional hosting duties, then won the regional championship for the sixth time in program history. Wingate has won 16 of the last 17 regular season SAC titles, adding 13 tournament championships in that span, with the six region titles all coming since 2010. The Bulldogs made their sixth NCAA National Quarterfinal appearance in 2022, dropping a five-set match to eventual national champion West Texas A&M. The 'Dogs are 474-47 overall since the start of the 2007 season, going 278-18 in league play. Wingate has ranked in the top 10 in the nation in winning percentage every year since 2007.

Young earned All-SAC and All-Region honors in 2022, adding honorable mention All-American recognition from the AVCA. The graduate student registered 215 kills on the season, averaging 1.97 kills per set while hitting .362 on the year. She also piled up 0.96 blocks per set, adding 53 digs and 14 aces. Young ranked fourth in the SAC in hitting percentage and seventh in blocks per set.

Johnson had a huge freshman season, earning first team All-SAC and All-Region honors while collecting second team All-American accolades from the D2CCA, the only freshman to make any of the three D2CCA All-American teams. She was named the AVCA Region Freshman of the Year, while also picking up honorable mention All-American recognition from the AVCA. Johnson finished second on the team with 240 kills, averaging 2.18 kills per set with a .368 hitting percentage, while also piling up 1.19 blocks per set to go along with 68 digs and 28 aces. Johnson led the SAC in blocks per set, while ranking second in the conference in hitting percentage. She ranked in the top 25 nationally in blocks per set and hitting percentage during her freshman season.

Mullen was an All-SAC and All-Region honoree during her senior season with the Bulldogs. The libero anchored a WU defense that ranked second in the nation in opponents' hitting percentage. Mullen piled up 405 digs on the year, averaging 3.89 digs per set to go along with 93 assists and 20 aces. She had double-digit digs in 24 matches on the year, including 15 of her final 17 contests, with a season-high 28 digs in the SAC Tournament semifinal victory over Anderson.

Saye earns league honors for the first time in her career. She had a big freshman season for the Bulldogs, averaging 2.00 kills per set with a .288 hitting percentage, adding 0.54 blocks per set to go along with 22 aces. Saye had double-digit kills in eight matches, saving her best for last by piling up 17 kills with a .452 hitting percentage against West Texas A&M in the national quarterfinals.

Wingate opens up the 2023 season with nine straight matches away from Cuddy Arena. The 'Dogs go to Florida Sept. 1 and 2 to take on Drury, Embry-Riddle, Augusta and Emmanuel. The following weekend Wingate heads to Emmanuel to take on Southern Wesleyan, Francis Marion, Eckerd and Erskine. The Bulldogs open SAC play at Catawba Sept. 12, while finally playing a home match Sept. 16 at 2 p.m. against Newberry.


2023 SAC Volleyball Preseason Poll

Rank	School (First Place Votes)	Score
1.	Wingate (11)	140
2.	Carson-Newman (2)	130
3.	Anderson	120
4.	Lenoir-Rhyne	112
5.	Tusculum	100
6.	Mars Hill	92
7.	Newberry	69
8.	Catawba	66
9.	Limestone	65
10.	Lincoln Memorial	46
11.	Emory & Henry	30
T-12.	Coker	22
T-12.	UVA Wise	22

Preseason All-SAC Volleyball Teams

First Team
Emiah Burrowes, Tusculum
Emily Johnson, Wingate
Maggie Young, Wingate
Laela Jimenez, Mars Hill (L)
Julia Wheeler, Carson-Newman
Emmagrace Cobb, Carson-Newman
Blake Cherry, Carson-Newman
Jaelyn Grimm, Anderson

Second Team
Emmaleigh Allen, Lenoir-Rhyne
Jordan Schmucker, Mars Hill
Maggie Mullen, Wingate (L)
Martina Foster, Tusculum
Samantha Shaffer, Newberry
Gabby Saye, Wingate
Rylie Sargent, Anderson
Chelsey Blume, Coker

Third Team
Lindsay McCurley, Anderson (L)
Kristen Moehring, Lincoln Memorial
Tatum Riddle, Limestone
Bailey Conner, UVA Wise
Josie Curran, Limestone
Taylor Hall, Newberry
Ketura Margaret, Lincoln Memorial
Sierrah Lemons, Lincoln Memorial