NEW ORLEANS – The Sun Belt Conference announced its 2024 Volleyball Preseason Awards on Thursday afternoon and Old Dominion’s Myah Conway has been named to the Preseason All-Conference Team. In the Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the Monarchs were picked to finish fourth in the league’s East Division.
The honors and coaches' poll were voted upon by all 14 of the league’s head coaches.
Conway, a native of Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania, is entering her senior season at ODU. Last season saw her earn All-Sun Belt First Team honors for the second year in a row after she led the Monarchs with 518.5 points and 451 kills and was second on the team with 93 blocks. She finished the 2023 regular season as the Sun Belt leader in both points (504) and kills (439). She became the first player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career kills, was tabbed Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 19, 2023, and also landed on ODU’s Quest for the Crown and West Virginia’s Mountaineer Invitational All-Tournament Teams.
James Madison was chosen as the preseason favorites to win the East Division with 90 points and eight first-place votes, while defending Sun Belt Champion Coastal Carolina came in right behind the Dukes with 88 points and six first-place votes. Georgia Southern was picked third with 74 points, ODU received 48 points for the No. 4 spot, and App State got 45 points for the No. 5 spot. Rounding out the East were Marshall in sixth place with 31 points and Georgia State in seventh with 16 points.
Texas State finished atop the Sun Belt West Division last season and is expected to repeat after garnering 98 points and all 14 first-place votes. Following the Bobcats are Troy (80), South Alabama (71), Louisiana (57), Southern Miss (37), Arkansas State (35) and ULM (14).
CCU’s Jalyn Stout was voted the Sun Belt Preseason Offensive Player of the Year, TXST’s Jade Defraeye was voted Preseason Defensive Player of the Year, Troy’s Janelle Stuempfig is the Preseason Setter of the Year, and Louisiana’s Mio Yamamoto is the Preseason Libero of the Year.
The Monarchs will host Christopher Newport University for an exhibition on Aug. 23 at 3 p.m. before hosting the Quest for the Crown Tournament on Aug. 30-31 to open the season. ODU’s first match will be against Marist at 11 a.m. that Friday, and the team will round out the first day of competition at 7 p.m. versus UTSA. The second day of the Quest for the Crown will pit ODU against Virginia in the final match of the tournament at 7 p.m.
The 2024 Sun Belt Conference Tournament will return to the Foley Events Center in Foley, Alabama and will be held on November 21-24. Seeding for the tournament will be determined by winning percentage against divisional foes only, with the top two seeds from each division earning automatic byes to the quarterfinal round.
To view ODU’s 2024 schedule, click here.
2024 Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Preseason Awards
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year: Jalyn Stout, Coastal Carolina (S, So., Gainesville, Fla.)
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year: Jade Defraeye, Texas State (MB, Jr., Dunkirk, France)
Preseason Setter of the Year: Janelle Stuempfig, Troy (S, Jr., Sussex, Wisc.)
Preseason Libero of the Year: Mio Yamamoto, Louisiana (L, Sr., Chigasaki, Japan)
Preseason All-Conference
Maya Winterhoff, App State (MB, Jr., Charlottesville, Va.)
Jalyn Stout, Coastal Carolina (S, So., Gainesville, Fla.)
Miëtte Veldman, James Madison (OH, Gr., Daleville, Va.)
Reagan Barth, Georgia Southern (OH, So., Lenexa, Kan.)
Mio Yamamoto, Louisiana (L, Sr., Chigasaki, Japan)
Myah Conway, Old Dominion (RS, Sr., Orwigsburg, Pa.)
Jade Defraeye, Texas State (MB, Jr., Dunkirk, France)
Alyssa Ortega, Texas State (L, Sr., San Antonio, Texas)
Ryann Torres, Texas State (S, Fifth Year, Buda, Texas)
Samantha Wunsch, Texas State (OH, R-So., Austin, Texas)
Tori Hester, Troy (OH, Sr., Salisbury, N.C.)
Janelle Stuempfig, Troy (S, Jr., Sussex, Wisc.)
2024 Sun Belt Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
East Division
James Madison – 90 (8)
Coastal Carolina – 88 (6)
Georgia Southern – 74
Old Dominion – 48
App State – 45
Marshall – 31
Georgia State – 16
West Division
Texas State – 98 (14)
Troy – 80
South Alabama – 71
Louisiana – 57
Southern Miss – 37
Arkansas State – 35
ULM – 14
FOLLOW ODU VOLLEYBALL ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Follow @ODUVB on Twitter and @oduvb on Instagram for the latest updates on the Monarchs.