Written By: WAC Media Relations
DENVER, CO – The Western Athletic Conference volleyball coaches have selected New Mexico State to win the WAC regular-season crown in 2014. The coaches also voted on the preseason award winners and Utah Valley junior middle blocker Lauren Bakker was the pick for WAC Preseason Player of the Year.
New Mexico State received six of the first-place votes with Seattle U earning the other two. The Aggies earned 48 total points, followed by Seattle U with 43. Utah Valley was picked to finish third with 35 points, followed by Missouri-Kansas City in fourth with 27 points, just ahead of Bakersfield in fifth with 26 and Grand Canyon in sixth with 22 points. Texas-Pan American and Chicago State rounded out the poll with 16 and seven points, respectively.
New Mexico State and Utah Valley placed the most players on the preseason All-WAC team with three apiece, while Seattle U, UMKC and Grand Canyon had two each. Joining Bakker on the preseason team are teammates Kalani Norris and McKenna Tait, New Mexico State’s Taylor Livoti, Gwen Murphy and Bradley Nash, Seattle U’s Iris Ivanis and Martina Samadan, UMKC’s Sydney Crimmins and Emma Hagedorn, Grand Canyon’s Shannon Dugan and Mackenzie Phelps, Bakersfield’s Molly O’Hagan, and Haley Durham of UTPA.
The 2014 season begins Friday, Aug. 29 with all eight teams in tournament action. The 2014 WAC Tournament, hosted by Bakersfield, will be held Nov. 20-22, at the Icardo Center, and will include the top six eligible teams in the regular-season standings.
| Rank | Team (first-place votes) | Points |
| 1 | New Mexico State (6) | 48 |
| 2 | Seattle U (2) | 43 |
| 3 | Utah Valley | 35 |
| 4 | Missouri-Kansas City | 27 |
| 5 | Bakersfield | 26 |
| 6 | Grand Canyon | 22 |
| 7 | Texas-Pan American | 16 |
| 8 | Chicago State | 7 |
2014 Preseason All-WAC Team
| Player | Yr. | Pos. | School |
| Lauren Bakker | Jr. | MB | Utah Valley |
| Sydney Crimmins | Jr. | OH | UMKC |
| Shannon Dugan | Sr. | OH | Grand Canyon |
| Haley Durham | Jr. | MB | UTPA |
| Emma Hagedorn | Jr. | MB | UMKC |
| Iris Ivanis | So. | OH | Seattle U |
| Taylor Livoti | Jr. | S | New Mexico State |
| Gwen Murphy | Jr. | MH | New Mexico State |
| Bradley Nash | Jr. | OH | New Mexico State |
| Kalani Norris | Sr. | OH | Utah Valley |
| Molly O’Hagan | Sr. | MB | Bakersfield |
| Mackenzie Phelps | Sr. | L | Grand Canyon |
| Martina Samadan | Jr. | M | Seattle U |
| McKenna Tait | Sr. | L | Utah Valley |