ROCK HILL, S.C. --- The Tusculum University women's volleyball team has been picked to finish fifth in the South Atlantic Conference Coaches' Poll, the league announced today. Individually, Gabby Gray and Emiah Burrowes earned preseason first team recognition.

Gray, a Lafayette, Ga. native, appeared in all 29 matches and 106-of-107 sets for Tusculum during her junior season. The outside hitter finished 2019 with 306 kills, 945 attempts (6th in the SAC), 342 digs, 36 total blocks (5 solo, 31 assists), 22 service aces, and 15 assists. Gray recorded a season-high 23 kills and career-best 23 digs in a home match against Mars Hill. She also racked up 23 kills at Catawba. Gray enters her senior season second all-time in career kill attempts per set at TU (9.57). As a biology major, she has earned the Division II Athletic Directors Association (D2 ADA) Academic Achievement Award each year as a Pioneer.

Burrowes, from Wesley Chapel, North Carolina, impressed in her first collegiate season. She compiled six postseason honors: TU Female Freshman of the Year, AVCA Region Freshman of the Year, AVCA First Team All-Region, SAC Freshman of the Year, SAC All-Conference Second Team, and SAC All-Freshman Team. The outside hitter saw action in 94 sets and 27 matches, collecting a team-high 333 kills, 888 attempts (9th in the SAC), 217 digs, 34 total blocks (5 solo, 29 assists), 14 aces, and 11 assists. Burrowes' 3.54 kills per set rate ranks sixth in the TU season records and third in the conference, while her 9.45 attempts per set average is seventh in the program season marks and third for a career. She notched two 22-kill outings and one contest with 18 digs.

The Pioneers received 104 total points in a vote of the conference's 13 head coaches. For the 15th straight season, Wingate has been voted to finish at the top of the league, garnering 154 points and 10-of-13 first place tallies. Just one point separates Queens (138) and Carson-Newman (137), but the latter gathered up the remaining three first place nods. Anderson (128) and Tusculum round out the top-5, followed by Mars Hill (94), Lenoir-Rhyne (90), Lincoln Memorial (71), and Catawba (66). Conference newcomer Limestone is 10th in the poll with 63 points, ahead of Newberry (57), Coker (44), and UVA Wise (24).

TU head coach Danielle Marante looks to build upon the success of year one after leading the Pioneers to their first winning season (15-14) since 2014. She welcomes 10 freshmen to the program as complement to eight returners from last year's squad.

The Pioneers will open the abbreviated, conference-only season at Lenoir-Rhyne on February 25. Tusculum's first home match is set for March 9 versus Lincoln Memorial.

For the 2020-21 season, only the top four teams will advance to the two-day South Atlantic Conference Tournament. The semifinal and championship rounds will be held from Apr. 6-7 at the new Rock Hill Sports and Event Center in South Carolina.

2020-21 Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll

2020-21 Women's Volleyball Preseason All-Conference
All-SAC First Team
Gabby Gray, Tusculum
Megan Oldenburger, Carson-Newman
Logan Witt, Queens
Emiah Burrowes, Tusculum
Sophie Schaff, Wingate
Casey Tarvin, Queens
Taylor Prall, Lenoir-Rhyne
Ully Martins, Mars Hill (L)

All-SAC Second Team
Jaycee Jones, Queens (L)
Sarah Goddard, Mars Hill
Regan Duty, Anderson
Noelle Knutsen, Anderson
Kylie Morgan, Catawba
Erin Edwards, Carson-Newman
Maggie Young, Wingate
Maya Learmouth, Anderson