RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The defending Great American Conference champion Oklahoma Baptist women's volleyball team was selected to finish first in the Western Division of the GAC Preseason Poll for the upcoming 2021 season which is set to begin on Jan. 26.
OBU received 24 total votes and four first place votes as head coachÂ
Anna Howle begins her 13
th season with the program. The Bison are fresh off a 28-6 championship season which included both a GAC regular season and tournament championship. OBU took the GAC regular season with a 14-2 conference record and beat Harding in the GAC Tournament Championship 3-0, before capping off their banner season with a trip to the NCAA Central Regional.
The Bison will open up its season against Southeastern Oklahoma State inside the Noble Complex on Tuesday, Jan. 26.
OBU returns 15 players to their roster for 2021 including All-American
Malia Leatherland.
Southwestern was voted second in the Western Division with a total of 18 votes. Southern Nazarene and Northwestern Oklahoma State are tied for third receiving 17 votes and one first place vote each. Southeastern Oklahoma State and East Central round out the division with eight and six votes, respectively.
In the Eastern Division, Harding was picked as the favorite with 25 total votes and five first place votes. Henderson State was second with 21 votes and one first place vote, followed by Arkansas Tech (16), Ouachita (13), Arkansas-Monticello (10), and Southern Arkansas (5).
The league's volleyball season will feature a 10-game divisional schedule.
