Photo by: AlSamuels.com
Charleston Picked Third in Coaches' Poll, Two Cougars Earn Preseason All-CAA Honors
8/18/2021 2:00:00 PM | Volleyball
RICHMOND, Va. – The College of Charleston volleyball team was picked to finish fourth in the race for the 2021 Colonial Athletic Association regular season championship while juniors Emma Falk and Claire Campbell each garnered Preseason All-CAA Honorable Mention recognition announced league officials Wednesday.
Charleston received the fourth-most votes in the poll of the league's nine head coaches. Defending champion and preseason favorite Towson tops the poll with six first-place votes and 63 points followed by James Madison with 54 points and one first-place vote. Northeastern is third with 48 points and one first-place vote with Charleston (43) and Elon (33) in fourth and fifth, respectively. Delaware and Hofstra are tied for sixth with 26 points followed by UNCW (17) and William & Mary (14).
The Cougars return all but two members of last season's squad while welcoming a talented recruiting class eager to help re-establish the program's championship pedigree. Seniors Amani Dunston, Brooke Harris, Molly Russell and Campbell are expected to take on leadership roles on a deep and gifted roster.
Falk played a crucial role in one of the most potent blocking units in the nation last season, setting a single-season program record with an average of 1.65 blocks per set during the truncated 2020 campaign. The Niwot, Colo. native led the CAA and ranked third nationally in that category while pacing the Cougars with 71 blocks in only 43 sets. Falk and the Cougars finished the 2020 season ranked third in the nation with a team average of 3.14 blocks per set.
Campbell put together a strong junior season in 2020 as well averaging 1.56 kills and 1.21 blocks per set to form another facet of the Cougars' formidable blocking corps last spring. The Raleigh, N.C. native finished the campaign ranked fourth in the CAA and 56th nationally in blocks per set while accounting for at least five blocks in seven of the Cougars' 11 outings.
The Cougars are scheduled to begin the 2021 season on Friday, August 27 when they host Eastern Michigan on the first day of the CofC Invitational. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. at TD Arena.
2021 CAA Volleyball Preseason Poll
2021 Preseason All-CAA Volleyball Team
Julia Brown, William & Mary
Nina Cajic, Towson
Leah Daniel, Elon
Sophia Davis, James Madison
Emily Jarome, Towson
Nailah Jenkins, Northeastern
Savannah Seemans, Delaware
Erica Staunton, Northeastern
Miëtte Veldman, James Madison
Honorable Mention
Kristen Badowski, UNCW
Claire Campbell, Charleston
Emma Falk, Charleston
Jordan Gower, Elon
Ana Martinovic, Hofstra
Lydia Wiers, Towson
2021 CAA Volleyball Preseason Player of the Year
Leah Daniel, Elon
Charleston received the fourth-most votes in the poll of the league's nine head coaches. Defending champion and preseason favorite Towson tops the poll with six first-place votes and 63 points followed by James Madison with 54 points and one first-place vote. Northeastern is third with 48 points and one first-place vote with Charleston (43) and Elon (33) in fourth and fifth, respectively. Delaware and Hofstra are tied for sixth with 26 points followed by UNCW (17) and William & Mary (14).
The Cougars return all but two members of last season's squad while welcoming a talented recruiting class eager to help re-establish the program's championship pedigree. Seniors Amani Dunston, Brooke Harris, Molly Russell and Campbell are expected to take on leadership roles on a deep and gifted roster.
Falk played a crucial role in one of the most potent blocking units in the nation last season, setting a single-season program record with an average of 1.65 blocks per set during the truncated 2020 campaign. The Niwot, Colo. native led the CAA and ranked third nationally in that category while pacing the Cougars with 71 blocks in only 43 sets. Falk and the Cougars finished the 2020 season ranked third in the nation with a team average of 3.14 blocks per set.
Campbell put together a strong junior season in 2020 as well averaging 1.56 kills and 1.21 blocks per set to form another facet of the Cougars' formidable blocking corps last spring. The Raleigh, N.C. native finished the campaign ranked fourth in the CAA and 56th nationally in blocks per set while accounting for at least five blocks in seven of the Cougars' 11 outings.
The Cougars are scheduled to begin the 2021 season on Friday, August 27 when they host Eastern Michigan on the first day of the CofC Invitational. First serve is slated for 7 p.m. at TD Arena.
2021 CAA Volleyball Preseason Poll
| 1. Towson (6) | 63 |
| 2. James Madison (1) | 54 |
| 3. Northeastern (1) | 48 |
| 4. Charleston | 43 |
| 5. Elon | 33 |
| T6. Delaware | 26 |
| T6. Hofstra | 26 |
| 8. UNCW | 17 |
| 9. William & Mary | 14 |
2021 Preseason All-CAA Volleyball Team
Julia Brown, William & Mary
Nina Cajic, Towson
Leah Daniel, Elon
Sophia Davis, James Madison
Emily Jarome, Towson
Nailah Jenkins, Northeastern
Savannah Seemans, Delaware
Erica Staunton, Northeastern
Miëtte Veldman, James Madison
Honorable Mention
Kristen Badowski, UNCW
Claire Campbell, Charleston
Emma Falk, Charleston
Jordan Gower, Elon
Ana Martinovic, Hofstra
Lydia Wiers, Towson
2021 CAA Volleyball Preseason Player of the Year
Leah Daniel, Elon
Players Mentioned
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