Towson Tops CAA Volleyball Preseason Poll; Elon’s Daniel Pegged as Preseason Player of the Year

8/18/2021 2:00:00 PM

Hunter Peters

RICHMOND, Va. (Aug. 18, 2021) – Back-to-back Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Champions Towson sat atop the CAA Volleyball Preseason Poll as determined by a vote of the league’s nine head coaches the conference office announced Wednesday.

Towson received seven first-place votes and 63 out of a possible 64 points to sit atop the poll. James Madison ranked second with one first-place vote and 54 points. Northeastern, picked third, collected one first-place vote and 48 points. Charleston finished fourth with 43 points, and Elon was fifth with 33 points. Delaware and Hofstra tallied 26 points each, while UNCW and William & Mary rounded out the field with 17 and 14 points, respectively.

Elon senior Leah Daniel was chosen as the CAA Preseason Player of the Year. The 2020 CAA Player of the Year earned All-American honorable mention following her performance during the spring. Daniel led the CAA with 4.43 kills per set, racking up 177 kills while hitting at a .232 clip. She had double-digit kills in eight of 10 matches and had four double-doubles in the process.

Towson will look to become just the third team in CAA history to win three consecutive volleyball championships this fall. The Tigers return several key contributors from the previous two Championship teams. Nina Cajic was named the Most Outstanding Performer following the spring championship. Cajic led Towson with 79 kills, averaging 3.59 kills per set and hitting .314 en route to first-team All-CAA honors. Emily Jarome joins Cajic as a top attacking threat returning for the Tigers. Jarome, a second-team all-conference selection last season, ranked second on Towson with 74 kills and 3.36 kills per set. Additionally, Lydia Wiers returns after leading the CAA in hitting percentage (.406) while contributing 2.68 kills per set and 1.09 blocks per set. Wiers was a second-team All-CAA and All-CAA tournament team selection last season.

James Madison reached its 11^th straight CAA tournament in the spring and will look to remain among the top contenders in the conference this fall. Miëtte Veldman earned CAA Rookie of the Year accolades last season and is back to lead the Dukes’ attack. Veldman averaged 4.26 kills per set, accumulating 149 kills while recording five double-doubles in nine games during the spring. Sophia Davis was a force at the net last season, averaging 2.49 kills per set and 1.44 blocks per set. Davis earned first-team all-conference recognition for the second consecutive season following the spring.

Northeastern advanced to the CAA championship match for the first time since 2008 last season. The Huskies aim to challenge for the title again year. Nailah Jenkins had a well-rounded spring averaging 2.38 kills per set on a .386 hitting percentage in addition to 1.38 blocks per set and led the CAA with 21 service aces. Jenkins earned first-team All-CAA and CAA All-Tournament accolades. Erica Staunton, a first-team All-CAA honoree also, returns for the Huskies after leading the team in kills (165) and kills per set (4.13) during the spring.

Charleston returned to the CAA tournament last season, making an appearance in seven of the last eight CAA tournaments. The Cougars welcome back a pair of middle blockers from the top blocking squad in the CAA last season. Emma Falk sat atop the conference last season, averaging 1.65 blocks per set, a mark that ranked fourth in the NCAA. Her teammate Claire Campbell ranked fourth in the CAA with 1.21 blocks per set.

Elon is led by Daniel on the attack, while Jordan Gower anchors the defense. Gower had the second most digs per set (5.08) in the CAA last season and earned second-team all-conference honors.

Delaware turns to Savannah Seemans for production after a freshman campaign that earned her CAA All-Rookie accolades. Seemans led the Blue Hens with 100 kills and was second on the team with 121 digs. Additionally, she recorded three double-doubles in 10 games last season.

Hofstra looks to the veteran leadership of Ana Martinovic back for her fifth year. Martinovic led the Pride with 3.17 kills per set and contributed 2.58 digs per set during the abbreviated spring.

UNCW is excited to see Kirsten Badowski back on the court after an injury ended her spring season. Badowski was off to a solid start last season, averaging 3.23 kills per set and 1.18 digs per set in her first five matches.

William & Mary is highlighted by its fifth-year senior Julia Brown. Brown, a first-team All-CAA selection last spring, contributed 3.34 kills per set swinging at a .287 clip.

The 2021 season begins Friday, August 27, with all nine teams in action. The 2021 CAA Volleyball Championship will take place Thursday, November 18 through Saturday, November 20 at SECU Arena on the campus of Towson University.

2021 CAA Volleyball Preseason Poll

Team	Points
1. Towson (7)	63
2. James Madison (1)	54
3. Northeastern (1)	48
4. Charleston	43
5. Elon	33
T6. Delaware	26
T6. Hofstra	26
8. UNCW	17
9.William & Mary	14

2021 Preseason Player of the Year: Leah Daniel, Elon

2021 Preseason All-CAA Volleyball Team

Name	School	Position	Class	Hometown
Julia Brown	William & Mary	MB	Gr.	Geneva, Ill.
Nina Cajic	Towson	OH	So.	Subotica, Serbia
Leah Daniel	Elon	OH	Sr.	Zionsville, Ind.
Sophia Davis	James Madison	MB	Jr.	Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Emily Jarome	Towson	OH	Sr.	Wilmington, Del.
Nailah Jenkins	Northeastern	MB	Jr.	Atlanta, Ga.
Savannah Seemans	Delaware	OH	So.	Newark, Del.
Erica Staunton	Northeastern	OH/OPP	Jr.	Orland Park, Ill.
Miëtte Veldman	James Madison	OH	So.	Daleville, Va

Honorable Mention: Kirsten Badowski, UNCW (OH); Claire Campbell, Charleston (MB); Emma Falk, Charleston (MB); Jordan Gower, Elon (DS/L); Ana Martinovic, Hofstra (OH); Lydia Wiers, Towson (MB)

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