Texas State, trio of Bobcats receive preseason recognition

Texas State landed three players on the 2021 Preseason All-Sun Belt Team, as announced by the conference on Wednesday.

Senior outside hitter Janell Fitzgerald was selected as the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year after averaging a career-high 3.58 kills per set last season. Emily DeWalt, the league’s reigning three-time Setter of the Year, was predicted to win the award for a fourth consecutive time as a senior. The two players were joined on the preseason all-conference team by fifth-year senior middle blocker Tyeranee Scott. All three Bobcats were recognized on the 2020-21 All-Sun Belt First Team last season.

“I love that Emily, Janell and Tyeranee (have) been recognized as some of the top players in the conference again this season,” head coach Sean Huiet said in a statement. “We know that the preseason awards are nice in terms of the conference respecting your level of play, but we also know that a lot of the voting is based on what you did last season. This team is special in that they do not care who gets the recognition, they just want to leave their legacy as a group.”

Texas State was also predicted to win the league’s West Division in the 2021 Sun Belt Preseason Coaches poll, receiving 69 points and 11 first-place votes. The team was followed in the division by UT Arlington in second place with 55 points, Arkansas State in third with 48 points and one first-place vote, Louisiana in fourth with 35 points, Little Rock in fifth with 27 points and Louisiana-Monroe in sixth with 18 points.

Coastal Carolina was picked to win the East Division in the poll with 71 points and 11 first-place votes. The Chanticleers were followed by Troy in second place with 59 points and one first-place vote, Georgia Southern in third with 36 points, Appalachian State in fourth with 32 points, South Alabama in fifth with 28 points and Georgia State in sixth with 26 points.

The Bobcats were not ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Women’s Division I Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll that was released on Monday, but they did receive 11 points — the same number as Kansas. No other Sun Belt team received votes in the poll.

“It is nice to have the respect from the other coaches in the conference, but with that also comes a target,” Huiet stated. “This group is ready for the challenge and our team is mentally locked in right now that they are more concerned with where we want to be in December. The coaching staff is very excited with how we have started this fall camp both physically and mentally.”

The maroon and gold will play in an exhibition match at No. 23 Rice on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Houston. Texas State officially begins the 2021 season with a doubleheader against No. 3 Kentucky at 10:30 a.m. and Cincinnati at 7 p.m. on Aug. 27 in Dayton, Ohio.