Morehead State, which has won four consecutive Ohio Valley Conference regular-season volleyball titles, has been picked to win the championship again in 2014. The preseason poll was voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
"The OVC should be strong from top to bottom this year, so this recognition is a real honor," Head Coach Jaime Gordon said. "I believe this honor reflects the hard work our players have previously put in and not necessarily where we will end up in the future. This will be forgotten in a few weeks."
Seniors Colbey Cameron, Alex Fitzmorris and Laura McDermott have also landed spots on the 14-player Preseason All-OVC Team. Cameron is a setter from Prospect, Ky., while Fitzmorris is a right-side hitter from Overland Park, Kan., and McDermott is a middle blocker from Westfield Center, Ohio.
"Congratulations to Colbey, Alex and Laura," Gordon said. "They are a talented senior class and have an opportunity to make a real mark on this conference. I am proud of the commitment they have each made individually, but more importantly their efforts to make our team as good as it can be."
Cameron started 32 of 35 matches in 2013. She collected 1,188 assists and ranked fourth in the OVC in assists per set. Cameron tallied 13 matches with at least 40 assists and chalked up 13 double-doubles. Standing 5-foot-10, she also posted 292 digs, 93 kills, 37 total blocks and 27 aces.
Fitzmorris played in all 35 matches and 131 sets last season. She earned OVC All-Newcomer accolades after compiling 16 double-digit kill performances and hitting higher than .400 five times. Standing 6-foot-5, Fitzmorris also tallied 76 total blocks. She hit .480 in MSU's NCAA Tournament match.
McDermott started all 35 matches in 2013 and played in 131 sets. She notched 302 kills and 100 total blocks. It was her second 100-block season at the collegiate level. McDermott recorded 11 double-digit kill matches. Standing 6-foot-1, she also hit .300-or-better on 13 occasions a year ago.
"Our primary goal this year is to establish our identity and build a good enough team around it so we are in the mix by the end of the season," Gordon said. "We have always taken an approach to train like you are No. 2 and play like you are No. 1. If we do that every day, we should be OK in the end."
Morehead State has posted a 67-3 (.957) conference record over the past four years and participated in two of the past three NCAA Tournaments. Off the court, the Eagles registered a 3.73 grade point average in 2013-14 and all 12 student-athletes were named to the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll
Morehead State opens its season Aug. 29-30 with the Eagle Challenge at Wetherby Gym. Radford and Northern Kentucky will join the Eagles in the three-team weekend affair. MSU is also set to host Northern Illinois (Sept. 12), Louisville (Sept. 12) and Arizona State (Sept. 13) in non-conference play.
