Volleyball picked eighth in HCAC preseason poll
The Defiance College volleyball team was picked to finish eighth in the 2021 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) volleyball season. The Yellow Jackets also had five players named to the Athletes to Watch list.
CARMEL, Ind. – In a vote amongst league coaches, the Defiance College volleyball team was picked to finish eighth in the 2021 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) volleyball season. The Yellow Jackets also had five players named to the Athletes to Watch list.
Seniors Mackenzie Benham, Tre'Ana King, and Brianna Wheeler each earned spots on the watchlist heading into their final season.
Benham appeared in 17 matches last season and led the team with 156 kills. She finished top five in the HCAC in kills and kills-per-set (2.98). She also logged 142 digs, 15 total blocks, and 16 service aces. King recorded 152 digs and nine aces in 17 matches. Wheeler led the Yellow Jackets with 411 assists and finished third in the conference in that stat.
Also on the watchlist were sophomores Olivia Rayk and Madison Schoenauer. Rayk recorded 64 kills and 19 total blocks as a freshman and Schoenauer tallied 94 kills, 16 total blocks, and 25 digs.
Transylvania University topped the poll with 97 points and seven first-place votes followed by Mount St. Joseph University with 85 points and a first-place vote and Earlham College with 80 points and the two remaining first-place votes. Hanover College (66 points) and Bluffton University (57 points) round out the top five. Defiance finished eighth with 32 points.
The Yellow Jackets will travel to Heidelberg to open the season on Sept. 1 at 7 p.m.