Bethany Favored in PAC Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll

Watch Head Coach Courtney Kline Preview the 2019 Season 

Greenville, Pa – The Bethany College women's volleyball team has been selected as the league favorite in 2019 after winning the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Championship last season.

The Bison are led by 13^th-year head coach and three-time PAC Coach of the Year (2009, 2016, 2018) Courtney Kline. The green and white claimed five first-place votes and 68 points in this year's preseason coaches' poll, which was voted on by the conference's nine head coaches. The results of the poll were announced with the leagues players to watch list Friday morning. 

"It's really a great honor to be selected first in this year's preseason poll" stated Coach Kline. "While it is a great honor, we really have to get out there and do it on the court, it's really how you finish, so we are really hoping to have a great start and progress throughout the season."

Bethany returns a group of upperclassmen that led the Bison to their second PAC title. The green and white return senior All-PAC First Team outside hitter, Katie Sparks (Macedonia, Ohio | Trinity). Sparks enters her final season ninth all time with 1019 kills and hold the single season record for kills per set with 4.10 while leading the PAC. Sparks continues to be one of the most versatile players on the team, registering 16 kill-dig double-doubles and ranking third on the team in digs (351) and blocks (40).

Joining Sparks are senior All-PAC Second Team outside hitter, Lindsey Llewellyn (Vermilion, Ohio | Norwalk St. Paul) and junior setter Jenna Scott (New Castle, Ind. | Liberty Christian).  Llewellyn finished the season second on the team in kills (255) and kills per set (2.34). She ranked in the top 10 in the PAC with a .227 hitting percentage. Scott finished the 2018 campaign with 528 assists and 20 service aces.

Defensively, the Bison will have to replace All-PAC Riley Parker and pair of specialists in Kelli Terry and Maggie Merren. 

"We lost most of our defensive players to graduation, they are going to be very hard to replace" mentioned Kline. "We're excited for some of our incoming freshmen defensive players."

Kline and the Bison will open up the season at the Spartans Invitation at Case Western Reserve on Friday and Saturday, August 30-31, with a quartet of non-conference matches. Bethany will open play with Utica on the first day at 7:30 pm.