Cougars picked first in WCC preseason poll

PROVO, Utah – The West Coast Conference coaches picked BYU women’s volleyball to finish first in league play and named Amy Boswell, Whitney Young Howard and Alexa Gray to the Preseason All-WCC team Thursday.

The Cougars finished the 2014 season with a 16-2 WCC record, good for first place in league play by a three-match margin. BYU earned the auto-bid to the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the national championship match for the first time in school history.

Following the 2014 conference campaign, Gray was named the WCC Player of the Year and added to the All-WCC First Team. Howard was named the WCC Defensive Player of the Year and added to the All-WCC First Team while Boswell was named All-WCC Honorable Mention.

Additionally, Gray was named AVCA Second-Team All-America, Boswell AVCA All-America Honorable Mention and Howard Volleyball Magazine Second-Team All-America at the conclusion of last season.

Santa Clara was picked to finish second in the league with three first-place votes, while San Diego, Gonzaga and Loyola Marymount rounded out the top five.

This is the third-consecutive season where the Cougars were picked to finish atop the league.

WCC women’s volleyball officially begins Aug. 28 with the Cougars taking on Chicago State to begin the Women of Troy Baden Invitational at USC. For schedules, scores and standings visit WCCsports.com.

2015 WCC Preseason Volleyball Coaches' Poll

Team (First Place Votes) Pts.
1. BYU (7) 79
2. Santa Clara (3) 69
3. San Diego 58
4. Gonzaga 57
5. Loyola Marymount 52
6. Pacific 51
7. Pepperdine 31
T-8. Saint Mary’s 22
T-8. San Francisco 22
10. Portland 10

2015 All-WCC Preseason Volleyball Team

Name, Institution, Yr., Pos.
Savannah Blinn, Gonzaga, Sr., OH  
Amy Boswell, BYU, Jr., MB
Lexi Elman, Pacific, Jr., OH
Alexa Gray, BYU, Sr., OH
Nikki Hess, Santa Clara, Jr., OH
Kirsten Mead, Santa Clara, So., S
Sarah Sponcil, Loyola Marymount, So., OH
Becca Strehlow, Pepperdine, Sr., S
Hannah Tedrow, Loyola Marymount, Sr., S
Whitney Young Howard, BYU, Jr., MB