BYU picked first in WCC, four on preseason team

SAN MATEO, Calif. — No. 10 BYU women's volleyball has been picked to win the West Coast Conference (WCC), the league announced today. Four Cougars were also named to the preseason All-WCC team.

The Cougars received seven of nine possible first-place votes for a total of 79 points. San Diego, voted second, tallied 73 points and three first-place votes.

Senior setter Whitney Bower, senior middle blocker Heather Gneiting, senior opposite hitter Kate Grimmer and junior outside hitter Erin Livingston were the four BYU players named to the preseason All-WCC team. The Cougars and Toreros were tied for the most players on the preseason team, each with four-apiece. 

Bower and Gneiting were both named to last season's All-WCC Team, as well as the AVCA Pacific South All-Region team. Livingston was named to the 2021 All-WCC Second Team.

Grimmer was named to the All-WCC Freshman Team in 2019, and to the All-WCC First Team and AVCA Pacific South All-Region team during the spring 2020-21 season. 

The WCC Setter of the Year last season, Bower amassed 1,094 assists in 2021, also recording 297 digs and 99 kills. Gneiting started 30 of 32 matches last year, totaling 227 kills on a .425 clip and adding 106 total blocks and 67 digs.

Grimmer finished the 2021 season with 21 kills and a .341 hitting percentage, seven digs and six total blocks. Livingston started 25 matches last year, tallying the third-highest number of kills on the team with 242, contributing 33 digs and 32 totals blocks as well.

BYU will begin its 2022 season with the dōTERRA Classic on Friday, Aug. 26, playing host to Rider at noon and Duke at 7 p.m. MDT in the Smith Fieldhouse.