Hawks Volleyball Voted Third In CCS Preseason Poll
ATLANTA,Ga.- Huntingdon volleyball has been selected to finish third in the CCS following the conference's preseason poll.
Voted by the head coaches within the conference, Covenant College has been selected as the preseason favorite to win the 2024 Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) Women's Volleyball Championship.
The reigning CCS champions, Covenant returns to the court with momentum after an extraordinary 2023 season. The Scots dominated the competition with a remarkable 35-3 overall record, going undefeated in conference play with a 16-0 record. Their exceptional season earned them a spot in the national rankings, where they cracked the top 25 for the first time in school history. Covenant's journey continued in the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship, where they secured a thrilling 3-1 victory over No. 14 Mount St. Joseph in the first round before narrowly falling to No. 7 Emory in a five-set thriller in the second round. The Scots enter the 2024 season ranked No. 25 in the AVCA poll.
This past season, the Hawks made it to the CCS semi-finals where they fell to the Scots of Maryville College in 5 sets. Coming off such a successful season, Coach Latonia Brady feels confident in the team going forward, sharing that the 5 set loss was "definitely a driving force for our returners this spring."
The Hawks look to lean on the experience of their 7 seniors, Eva Ellenburg, Jessi Hilyer, Lydia Hitchcock, Ashlen Janowski, Izzy Valldeperas, Kenry Malone and Jenna Crow, as they enter the new season. In addition to returning seven seniors, the Hawks welcome in 9 freshman and 3 transfer student-athletes, establishing a well-rounded roster as they move throughout the early parts of their season.
The regular season kicks off on Friday, August 30, with the majority of conference teams in action. The 2024 CCS Women's Volleyball Championship Tournament will begin on Tuesday, November 12 featuring the top six squads, and will culminate with the championship game on Saturday, November 16, hosted by the highest-seeded team.
Below is a look at the 2024 CCS Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll. First-place votes are in parentheses:
2024 CCS WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON POLL
- Covenant - 60 points (4)
- Maryville - 56 points (3)
- Huntingdon - 54 points (2)
- Piedmont - 38 points
- Asbury - 37 points
- Belhaven - 34 points
- LaGrange - 21 points
- Agnes Scott - 15 points
- Wesleyan - 9 points
Huntingdon opens their season on August 30th, traveling to Atlanta, Georgia to take on Pfeiffer in the first round of a tournament hosted by Emory University. Gametime is scheduled for 4:00 PM CT.