TicketsCINCINNATI – The American Athletic Conference preseason poll and awards were announced on Monday with the University of Cincinnati volleyball team receiving prestigious recognition. The team was picked to finish second out of twelve teams while Jordan Thompson was named Preseason Player of the Year for the third time in a row and Carly Nolan was a unanimous selection to the AAC Preseason Team.
The conference coaches gave UC 108 points and five first place votes, second only to Wichita State, the 2017 undefeated AAC Champion. The Shockers received 113 total points and six first place votes. Following the Bearcats, Temple was voted to finish third with one first place vote and 106 points.
Thompson claims her third Preseason Player of the Year honor despite missing all of the 2017 season due to injury. The redshirt-junior was the AAC Player of the Year in 2016 and was also named an All-American the same season, becoming just the third Bearcat in history earn the top honor as an underclassman. Thompson was named the 2015 AAC Freshman of the Year and has been a unanimous First Team All-AAC honoree in her first two seasons on the court. She has already achieved 1,000 career kills and currently ranks second in kills per set and eighth in hitting percentage in the UC record book.
Nolan is now a three-time preseason team honoree, earning a unanimous spot entering her senior campaign. She has received a spot on the First Team All-American Athletic Conference every year of her career, including a unanimous selection last season. Nolan led the Bearcats last year with 4.08 kills per set, recorded 17 double-doubles (kills-digs), reached 1,000 career kills and also completed a 20-20 performance with 20 kills and 22 digs in a match.
A total of twelve athletes were named to the preseason team with Temple leading the way with three members. UC, SMU, Tulsa and Wichita State all had two.
The 2018 season begins when the Bearcats head to Oxford, Ohio, to face UC Santa Barbara on Friday, August 24 at 3 p.m.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all of the latest information on Cincinnati volleyball, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up to the minute updates, follow Cincinnati Volleyball (@GoBearcatsVB) and Coach Alvey (@CoachAlveyUC) on Twitter. You can also find the Bearcats on Facebook (GoBearcatsVB) and Instagram (GoBearcatsVB).
// 2018 PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
Preseason Player of the Year:
Jordan Thompson, Cincinnati
Preseason Team:
Carly Nolan, Cincinnati*
Jordan Thompson, Cincinnati*
Shelby Martin, ECU
Brittany Adams, SMU
Kendall Patterson, SMU
Irem Asci, Temple*
Iva Deak, Temple*
Dana Westfield, Temple
Taylor Horsfall, Tulsa
Emily Thorson, Tulsa*
Tabitha Brown, Wichita State*
Giorgia Civita, Wichita State
[*] Denotes unanimous selection
The conference coaches gave UC 108 points and five first place votes, second only to Wichita State, the 2017 undefeated AAC Champion. The Shockers received 113 total points and six first place votes. Following the Bearcats, Temple was voted to finish third with one first place vote and 106 points.
Thompson claims her third Preseason Player of the Year honor despite missing all of the 2017 season due to injury. The redshirt-junior was the AAC Player of the Year in 2016 and was also named an All-American the same season, becoming just the third Bearcat in history earn the top honor as an underclassman. Thompson was named the 2015 AAC Freshman of the Year and has been a unanimous First Team All-AAC honoree in her first two seasons on the court. She has already achieved 1,000 career kills and currently ranks second in kills per set and eighth in hitting percentage in the UC record book.
Nolan is now a three-time preseason team honoree, earning a unanimous spot entering her senior campaign. She has received a spot on the First Team All-American Athletic Conference every year of her career, including a unanimous selection last season. Nolan led the Bearcats last year with 4.08 kills per set, recorded 17 double-doubles (kills-digs), reached 1,000 career kills and also completed a 20-20 performance with 20 kills and 22 digs in a match.
A total of twelve athletes were named to the preseason team with Temple leading the way with three members. UC, SMU, Tulsa and Wichita State all had two.
The 2018 season begins when the Bearcats head to Oxford, Ohio, to face UC Santa Barbara on Friday, August 24 at 3 p.m.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all of the latest information on Cincinnati volleyball, please visit GoBEARCATS.com. For up to the minute updates, follow Cincinnati Volleyball (@GoBearcatsVB) and Coach Alvey (@CoachAlveyUC) on Twitter. You can also find the Bearcats on Facebook (GoBearcatsVB) and Instagram (GoBearcatsVB).
// 2018 PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
| Place | School | Points | 1st Place Votes |
| 1. | Wichita State | 113 | 6 |
| 2. | Cincinnati | 108 | 5 |
| 3. | Temple | 106 | 1 |
| 4. | SMU | 94 | |
| 5. | UCF | 74 | |
| 6. | Tulsa | 70 | |
| 7. | ECU | 68 | |
| 8. | Houston | 44 | |
| 9. | USF | 41 | |
| 10. | Tulane | 33 | |
| 11. | UConn | 29 | |
| 12. | Memphis | 12 |
Preseason Player of the Year:
Jordan Thompson, Cincinnati
Preseason Team:
Carly Nolan, Cincinnati*
Jordan Thompson, Cincinnati*
Shelby Martin, ECU
Brittany Adams, SMU
Kendall Patterson, SMU
Irem Asci, Temple*
Iva Deak, Temple*
Dana Westfield, Temple
Taylor Horsfall, Tulsa
Emily Thorson, Tulsa*
Tabitha Brown, Wichita State*
Giorgia Civita, Wichita State
[*] Denotes unanimous selection