WAC Coaches Select Stephen F. Austin, Utah Valley as Preseason Favorites
DENVER – With the addition of several new programs to volleyball in the Western Athletic Conference, Stephen F. Austin is the coaches' pick to take home the regular season trophy in the Southwest Division while Utah Valley earned the nod in the West Division. Individually, UVU's Kazna Tanuvasa garnered the WAC Preseason Player of the Year selection in a vote of the league's 13 head coaches, who could not vote for their own team or players.
Southwest Division preseason favorite Stephen F. Austin heads to the WAC following a 13-1 overall record and a regular season title in the Southland Conference just last year. The Lumberjacks landed four of six possible first-place votes and 24 total points to finish atop the poll. Sam Houston was closely behind as they earned the remaining two first-place votes and 21 points. Tarleton saw its name in the third spot with 15 points followed by Abilene Christian who came in fourth with 13 points. UT Rio Grande Valley and Lamar rounded out the poll, finishing with 11 points and six points, respectively.
Coming off their first WAC Tournament Championship in school history, Utah Valley received four of the seven first-place votes and 34 total points to earn the top spot in the West Division. NM State earned the remaining three first-place votes to finish in second place with 33 points, followed by Grand Canyon which was slotted in third with 26 points. California Baptist picked up 20 points as they were selected fourth while Dixie State finished with 16 points to claim fifth. Chicago State collected 10 points for the sixth spot and Seattle U completed the West Division poll with six points of its own.
NM State had the most players named to the preseason All-WAC team as the Aggies garnered four spots. Carly Aigner-Swesey, Victoria Barrett, Shaney Lipscomb and Lia Mosher each represent NM State on the Preseason All-WAC team. Joining them is Grand Canyon's Hannah Eskes and Klaire Mitchell, Sam Houston's Morgan Janda and Ashley Lewis and Stephen F. Austin's Taya Mitchell and Leah Powell. Meanwhile, Chicago State, Dixie State, Tarleton and Utah Valley each landed one player on the Preseason All-WAC Team. The Cougars' Yanlis Feliz, the Trailblazers' Megan Treanor and the Texans' Lauren Kersey each earned honors. Preseason Player of the Year Kazna Tanuvasa completes the 14-person team.
Fall 2021 Preseason Southwest Division Poll
| Rank |
Team (first-place votes) |
Points |
| 1. |
Stephen F. Austin (4) |
24 |
| 2. |
Sam Houston (2) |
21 |
| 3. |
Tarleton |
15 |
| 4. |
Abilene Christian |
13 |
| 5. |
UT Rio Grande Valley |
11 |
| 6. |
Lamar |
6 |
Fall 2021 Preseason West Division Poll
| Rank |
Team (first-place votes) |
Points |
| 1. |
Utah Valley (4) |
34 |
| 2. |
NM State (3) |
33 |
| 3. |
Grand Canyon |
26 |
| 4. |
California Baptist |
20 |
| 5. |
Dixie State |
16 |
| 6. |
Chicago State |
10 |
| 7. |
Seattle U |
6 |
Fall 2021 Preseason All-WAC Team
| Player |
Yr. |
Pos. |
School |
| Carly Aigner-Swesey |
Sr. |
S |
NM State |
| Victoria Barrett |
So. |
OH |
NM State |
| Hannah Eskes |
Jr. |
MB |
Grand Canyon |
| Yanlis Feliz |
So. |
OH |
Chicago State |
| Morgan Janda |
So. |
S |
Sam Houston |
| Lauren Kersey |
Sr. |
RS |
Tarleton |
| Ashley Lewis |
Sr. |
OH |
Sam Houston |
| Shaney Lipscomb |
Sr. |
RS |
NM State |
| Klaire Mitchell |
Jr. |
S |
Grand Canyon |
| Taya Mitchell |
Sr. |
MB |
Stephen F. Austin |
| Lia Mosher |
R-Sr. |
MB |
NM State |
| Leah Powell |
So. |
OH |
Stephen F. Austin |
| Kazna Tanuvasa |
Sr. |
OH |
Utah Valley |
| Megan Treanor |
Sr. |
OH/S |
Dixie State |
Preseason Player of the Year: Kazna Tanuvasa, Utah Valley