Tigers picked 7th, Reddies 8th in preseason GAC volleyball poll
ARKADELPHIA — The Great American Conference released its 2018 preseason poll this week with Ouachita Baptist picked to finish seventh and Henderson State eighth in the 12-team league.
The conference’s volleyball coaches selected Arkansas Tech as the preseason favorite for the 2018 season. The Golden Suns had their best season in program and GAC history in 2017, going undefeated in the regular season and posting a 35-1 final record.
Arkansas Tech claimed its fourth GAC regular season and tournament championships. The Golden Suns finished with the best win-loss percentage and the most wins across all three NCAA divisions.
The defending conference champions received 10 firstplace votes, returning six regulars, including all five All-GAC performers. Harding collected two first- place votes and
finished second in the balloting after a 27-6 record last year.
Oklahoma Baptist was voted third, Northwestern Oklahoma State fourth, Southern Nazarene fifth and Southwestern Oklahoma State sixth.
Ouachita is coming off of a 19-12 overall record and a 9-7 year in GAC play. Former Tiger Allison Frizzell- Kizer takes over for Danny Prescott as head coach.
The Tigers finished sixth in the conference last season, finishing just ahead of both Southwestern and Southeastern Oklahoma State. They were 8-2 last season inside the Sturgis Physical Education Center.
Ouachita is led by a core group of upperclassmen in Nikki Clay, from Bryant; Stormi Leonard, from Decatur, Texas; Adrianna Nolly, from Denton, Texas; Madison Wilson, from Sanger, Texas; Tabatha Huckabee, North Richland Hills, Texas; Katie Camp, from Plano, Texas; and Tori Barnhill, from Lonoke. The group already has a program-record 57 wins over a three-year period.
Frizzell-Kizer inherits a team that features multi-time All-GAC selections in Leonard, a three-time All-GAC selection and former GAC Setter of the Year, and blocker Nolly, a twotime All-GAC selection. Both were selected this summer to play for the USA D2 Volleyball Team in Brazil.
The Reddies were 14-15 in 2017. Southeastern, Arkansas- Monticello, East Central and Southern Arkansas were voted behind Henderson.
The 2018 season opens will all 12 conference members competing against non-conference tournaments starting on Aug. 24. The conference tournament will be held one week earlier than usual from Nov. 8-10 once again at Bank OZK Arena.
The Tigers will have a 30- match regular season schedule with 13 home contests, 10 road trips and seven neutral site competitions. The team is scheduled to travel 1,855 miles this season with matches in five different states.
“The beginning of our schedule is packed with tournaments, one we have not been to before and will challenge us,” Frizzell-Kizer said, “There are some in region teams that will allow us to see where we stand and will help us compete when we return to the GAC. We know the GAC is packed with good teams so challenging ourselves early in the season will allow us to become mentally tough during the long conference trek.”
Ouachita is scheduled to begin the season in a tournament at Alabama-Huntsville, where the Tigers are 8-3. The Tigers will co-host their own tournament the following weekend on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.