Lady Flames Picked 8th in GSC Volleyball Poll

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The University of West Florida has been tabbed as the favorite in the 2024 Gulf South Conference volleyball preseason poll while the Lee University Lady Flames were picked to finish eighth. The poll and preseason team were voted on by the GSC head coaches who could not vote for their team or student-athletes. 

The Argonauts collected 99 total points and nine of a possible ten first-place votes as they topped the preseason predictions for the 13th time since the 2010 season. The University of Alabama in Huntsville, last season’s tournament runner-up, was picked second with 90 points and one first-place vote. Valdosta State University was selected third with 69 points. Trailing by one-point in fourth was Mississippi College who garnered one first-place vote. The University of Montevallo rounded out the top five with 66 points.

Lee’s Christa Fabre, who begins her second season as head coach of the Lady Flames, agrees with the predictions of the coaches. “West Florida is always a front runner and UAH (Alabama in Huntsville) will have a strong program again. There will be several teams fighting for top five after that, including Valdosta, ourselves, Mississippi College, and Montevallo. Trevecca Nazarene University (an old rival) is a strong edition to our conference as well.”

This year’s preseason team featured nine student-athletes from six schools, with seven having earned All-GSC postseason accolades last season, but it does not include a Lady Flame. Meanwhile, the 2024 Newcomer Watchlist features 20 names from eight schools, including Lee’s Payton Danley, Izzy Denton, and Berra Soyler. 

The 2024 campaign marks the 43rd season of GSC volleyball and the debut of Trevecca Nazarene in the Gulf South Conference. Teams will play a double-round robin conference schedule that will comprise of 20 matches over eight weeks.

Lady Flames Ready to Build on Last Season

After leading the Lady Flames to a 17-14 and 8-8 GSC mark in her first season as head coach of a volleyball program that had not enjoyed a winning record since the 2018 season, Coach Fabre believes her club will be able to continue to build on last year’s results.

“I believe this group has a strong hunger to move further into post season and take the program further than we have gone before,” said Coach Fabre. “We have strong returning talent and the foundation of last season to continue moving in the right direction. We are well-rounded and have strength at the net and in the backrow, defensively.”

The Lady Flames lost All-GSC Abby Stroh (outside hitter), Allie Spurlock (right side/outside hitter), and key defensive special/libero Kamryn Halpin from last season. “Abby is one whose presence will be deeply missed on and off the court,” stressed the coach. “She was a great leader and was such a large part of our success last season. We are also going to miss Kam(ryn) and Allie as they were in strong roles as well.”
 Coach Fabre and her assistant CeCe Blanchard look to build around three returnees from last season. Red-shirt junior Naomi Hockless (middle blocker), junior lefty Sophia Lippert (right-side hitter) and sophomore Carmen Perez (outside hitter). “All three were strong forces for us and we saw so much growth in their game and performance over the off season. I am excited to see what they can accomplish this season,” noted the coach.

Ten new additions will help make up the current fall roster of 19 players. “We are excited about what each of them bring to our program,” pointed out the coach. “Payton Danley is an incoming freshman I believe will be an impact player on the right side, and another freshman, Mikayla Buhr, is a strong defender. We have sophomore Berra Soyler, who is transferring in from Nicholls State University in the setting position, while junior Izzy Denton is another strong defender, who comes from Gulf Coast State College.”

When asked about top priories in preseason work, Coach Fabre quickly answered, “With so many new additions to our roster, a primary focus we will have to be learning how to play beside and trust each other on and off the court. We will be seeking to improve our overall ball control and consistency. I would like to see growth in each of those positions,” she explained.

Last season the Lady Flames faced a schedule that put them on the road for 10-of-11 matches at one point. The rugged 31-game slate only awarded Fabre’s first Lee club eight home dates. The 2024 schedule will not get any easier, but fans will be able to witness nine early-season home matches, including the Flame Invitational and Lee Invitational which includes three teams from the always talented Sunshine State Conference.
 
 Eckerd College (Fla.) will join Georgia College, Arkansas Tech University, and Lincoln Memorial University (LMU) for the Flame Invitational while Nova Southeastern University, Embry-Riddle University (both talented Florida teams), the University of North Greenville (SC), and Quincy University (Ill.) make-up the strong Lee Invitational.

Said Coach Fabre, “Two invitationals were always planned. It is an advantage to play at home and after our travel schedule last year, I wanted to do all I could to keep us at home as much as possible. Our last tournament should be the strongest competition. I am excited to see how this group takes that on. Our conference is challenging and getting the experience against quality (non-conference) opponents gives us the opportunity to see what we can do against some of the best! I think we will have several exciting matches this year.”

Volleyball Coaches Preseason Poll
1. West Florida (9) – 99 points
2. Alabama Huntsville (1) – 90 points
3. Valdosta State – 69 points
4. Mississippi College (1) – 68 points
5. Montevallo – 66 points
6. Trevecca Nazarene – 57 points
7. Auburn Montgomery – 51 points
8. Lee – 43 points
9. Union – 30 points
10. West Alabama – 21 points
11. Christian Brothers – 11 points
 
First-place votes in parenthesis ( )
 
GSC Volleyball Newcomer Watchlist
Ashleigh Murr – Alabama Huntsville, S, Gr., 5-7 – Dallas, Texas/Lipscomb
Emily Redman – Alabama Huntsville, OH, Fr., 5-10 – Chattanooga, Tenn./Signal Mountain HS
Haley Strawser – Alabama Huntsville, DS, Fr., 5-8 – Wesley Chapel, Fla./Wiregrass Ranch HS
Sofia Cerbuch – Auburn Montgomery, MB, Jr., 6-2 – Trieste, Italy/Iowa Western CC
Carly Cooper – Auburn Montgomery, DS/L, Jr., 5-8 – Fort Walton Beach, Fla./Pensacola State College
Payton Danley – Lee, MH/OPP, Fr., 6-0 – Buford, Ga./Buford HS
Izzy Denton – Lee, DS/L, Jr., 5-3 – Panama City, Fla./Gulf Coast State College (Fla.)
Berra Soyler – Lee, S, So., 5-11 – Bursa, Turkey/Nicholls State
Ava Antonaros – Mississippi College, OH, Fr., 5-10 – Madison, Miss./Jackson Academy
Samarin Kipple – Mississippi College, DS/L, So., 5-7 – Pilot Mountain, N.C./Birmingham-Southern College
Reese Regner – Mississippi College, S/RS, Fr., 5-8 – Collierville, Tenn./St. George’s Independent School
Nikol Antova – Montevallo, OH, Fr., 6-0 – Vidin, Bulgaria/North Cobb HS
Blakely Robbins – Montevallo, S/OPP, Fr., 5-11 – Daphne, Ala./Bayside Academy
Ava Wind – Montevallo, DS/L, Fr., 5-6 – Leander, Texas/Glenn HS
Addison Cunnagin – Trevecca Nazarene, OH/RS, Fr., 6-1 – Somerset, Ky./Somerset Christian HS
Lily Vanbebber – Trevecca Nazarene, DS/L, Fr., 5-7 – Lake Winnebago, Mo./St. Michael the Archangel HS
Carleigh Charles – Union, OH, Fr., 6-0 – Nolensville, Tenn./Independence HS
Hannah Hamill – Union, OPP/MB, So., 5-11 – Sunshine Coast, Australia/St. Johns River State College (Fla.)
Sarah-Kate Savage – Union, DS/L, Fr., 5-6 – Murfreesboro, Tenn./Rockvale HS
Avery Mullins – Valdosta State, S, R-Fr., 5-8 – Cary, N.C./West Virginia State
 
For the second consecutive season, GSC volleyball will be streamed exclusively on Flo Volleyball. Fans who subscribe here can lock in a special GSC price, and those who use an .edu email from a GSC member school can save even more on monthly or annual subscriptions.