Hokie ClubBLACKSBURG, Va. – Rising junior Felicia Willoughby was selected to the preseason All-ACC volleyball squad for the 2009 season and the Hokies were picked to finish sixth in the preseason standings, the Atlantic Coast Conference announced on Tuesday.
Willoughby earned preseason all-conference honors for the second consecutive year after a strong 2008 campaign. The Pleasanton, Calif., native led the ACC with a .402 hitting percentage - a Tech single-season record - connecting on 326 of her 604 attacks. Willoughby also tallied 326 kills and 117 blocks, both team highs on the season, and earned All-ACC, All-AVCA East Region and honorable mention All-America honors.
Tech racked up 71 points and the conference coaches predicted the Hokies to finish sixth, ahead of Virginia, Georgia Tech, Wake Forest, Maryland, NC State and Boston College. Duke was selected first and garnered seven first-place votes, followed by Florida State, with three first-place votes. Miami and North Carolina each received one first-place vote and are picked to finish third and fourth, respectively, followed by Clemson in fifth.
The Hokies will kick off the year with the Hilton Garden Hokie Invitational on Aug. 28-29 in Cassell Coliseum. Tech will serve as the host for Montana on Friday at 7 p.m., and then take on North Carolina Greensboro and Liberty on Saturday at 5 and 7 p.m., respectively.
Preseason All-ACC Volleyball Team
| Name
| Class
| Position
| School
|
| Kelsey Murphy | Sr. | S | Clemson |
| Lia Proctor | Sr. | OH | Clemson |
| Didem Ege | Sr. | DS | Clemson |
| Rachael Moss | Sr. | OH | Duke |
| Becci Burling | Jr. | MB | Duke |
| Kellie Catanach | So. | S | Duke |
| Mira Djuric | Sr. | OH | Florida State |
| Brianna Barry | Sr. | MB | Florida State |
| Jordana Price | Sr. | MB | Florida State |
| Chrissy DeMichelis | Sr. | OH | Georgia Tech |
| Genny Mayhew | Sr. | OH | Miami |
| Lane Carico | So. | OH | Miami |
| Cassie Loessberg | Sr. | DS | Miami |
| Ingrid Hanson-Tuntland | Sr. | MB | North Carolina |
| Heather Brooks | Sr. | MB | North Carolina |
| Simon Asque | So. | OH | Virginia |
| Felicia Willoughby
| Jr.
| MB
| Virginia Tech
|
| Kadija Fornah | So. | OH | Wake Forest |
2009 Predected Order of Finish
1.) Duke (7) 116 points
2.) Florida State (3) 104 points
3.) Miami (1) 101 points
4.) North Carolina (1) 99 points
5.) Clemson 75 points
6.) Virginia Tech 71 points
7.) Virginia 62 points8.) Georgia Tech 49 points9.) Wake Forest 47 points10.) Maryland 33 points11.) NC State 21 points12.) Boston College 14 points