CCU beach volleyball picked second in Sun Belt preseason poll

CONWAY, S.C. (Coastal Carolina Athletics) - Coastal Carolina beach volleyball has been selected to finish second in the Preseason Sun Belt Coaches’ Poll, the league announced Monday. The poll is voted on by the league’s head coaches.

The Chanticleers sit behind preseason favorite Georgia State, who received all eight first-place votes. Last season, Coastal won a program-record 25 matches and advanced to the Sun Belt Tournament championship match after being picked second in the preseason poll.

Coastal Carolina returns 11 players from last year’s team, including 2023 All-Sun Belt selection Madie Lichty, Madison Allred, and Raychel Ehlers. Allred and Ehlers set a program record in 2023 with 27 wins as a pair. The Chants also return Martine Kragholm and Ellie Hanford, who rank first and second in program history in individual wins, along with Sarah Riedell, who combined to win 20 matches at the No. 1 flight last season with Kragholm. Joining the team this season are freshmen Ryla Bryant, Coco Farrow, Denisse Morgenstern, and Ava Novello, along with transfers Julia Blazek (ULM) and Emma Plutnicki (Georgetown).

2024 Sun Belt Conference Beach Volleyball Preseason Poll

1. Georgia State (8) - 64

2. Coastal Carolina - 55

3. College of Charleston - 39

4. UNCW - 34

T5. Mercer - 31

T5. Southern Miss - 85

7. ULM - 24

8. Stephen F. Austin - 10

The Coastal Carolina beach volleyball team also received votes in the AVCA Collegiate Beach Preseason Poll for the first time in program history.

The Chanticleers, one of two teams from the Sun Belt Conference to receive votes, earned the first national ranking in program history last February as CCU rose to No. 20 in the AVCA Top 20 Poll. Coastal Carolina earned three votes, placing the Chants 24th among the 29 teams to appear on a ballot. Coastal is slated to face five teams this season who appear in the preseason poll in No. 3 Florida State, No. 6 LSU, No. 12 Georgia State, No. 13 FIU, and No. 17 South Carolina, as well as two teams receiving votes in FGCU and North Florida.

The Chants open the season on Friday (Feb. 23) at the Jacksonville Invitational.