PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Defending conference champion UCF narrowly edged Cincinnati for top billing in the 2019 American Athletic Conference Volleyball Preseason Poll announced Thursday. The Knights collected eight first place votes for 118 points as voted upon by the conference’s 12 head coaches.
 
Cincinnati finished just four points behind, earning the other four first place votes. The Bearcats also boast the unanimous Preseason Player of the Year in redshirt senior Jordan Thompson, who collects the honor for the fourth-consecutive year.
 
Tulane received its highest placement in the poll since 2014, finishing third with 99 points. Tulsa (81 points) was selected fourth, SMU fifth (77) and USF sixth (66) to round out the top half of the rankings. Wichita State (65), Temple (44), ECU (39), Houston (34), UConn (32) and Memphis (23) rounded out the poll.
 
The American Athletic Conference will hold its first-ever postseason volleyball championship in 2019. The top six teams will square off in a single-elimination tournament Nov. 22-24 at The Venue at UCF in Orlando, Fla. The winner will earn The American’s automatic bid to the 2019 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship. Previously, the regular-season champion had claimed the league’s automatic bid.
 
The Knights, under 12^th-year head coach Todd Dagenais, earned their second American Athletic Conference title last season with a perfect 18-0 record in league play. UCF returns three of four all-conference selections from 2018’s NCAA Tournament squad, including sophomore McKenna Melville, junior Kristina Fisher and junior Anne-Marie Watson; all three were named to the 2019 Preseason All-Conference team. Melville was named the conference and AVCA Southeast Region Freshman of the Year last season after ranking second in The American with 4.51 kills per set.
 
Thompson will look to lead Cincinnati back to the NCAA Championship for the third time in four years after collecting AVCA Second Team All-America honors last season. She was the unanimous American Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2018, leading the nation in kills per set (6.27) and points per set (6.89). Most recently, Thompson competed for the U.S. national team this summer, helping USA Volleyball qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Along with Thompson, Cincinnati returns sophomore Maria Mallon, who ranked second on the Bearcats’ roster last year with 2.37 kills per set and a .224 hitting percentage.
 
Tulane enters 2019 on the heels of its first postseason appearance since 2009 last year. The Green Wave advanced to the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) title match and set five single-season conference records during the course of the season, including total wins (29). Senior Erika Hansel and junior Lexie Douglas, Tulane’s top two scorers last season, were both named to the Preseason All-Conference Team. Hansel was a unanimous First Team All-Conference selection in 2018.
 
The remaining top half of the poll, including Tulsa, SMU and USF, each saw at least one Preseason All-Conference selection apiece. Golden Hurricane senior Taylor Horsfall was a Second Team All-Conference pick last season after averaging 5.61 digs per set. SMU’s Hannah Jacobs and Montana Watts, along with USF’s Jac’cara Walker, all make their Preseason All-Conference debuts.
 
The American’s 2019 volleyball season begins next Friday, Aug. 30 with 21 matches on the docket and all 12 teams in action.
 
2019 American Athletic Conference
Volleyball Preseason Poll
 

Team	First Place Votes	Points
1. UCF	8	118
2. Cincinnati	4	114
3. Tulane		99
4. Tulsa		81
5. SMU		77
6. USF		66
7. Wichita State		65
8. Temple		44
9. ECU		39
10. Houston		34
11. UConn		32
12. Memphis		23

Preseason Player of the Year
Jordan Thompson, R-Sr., RS/OH, Cincinnati*
 
Preseason All-Conference Team
McKenna Melville, So., OH, UCF*
Kristina Fisher, Sr., OH, UCF
Anne-Marie Watson, Jr., RS, UCF
Jordan Thompson, R-Sr., RS/OH, Cincinnati*
Maria Mallon, So., OH, Cincinnati
Caylee Parker, So., OH, UConn
Shelby Martin, Jr., S, ECU
Hannah Flowers, Jr., RS, Memphis
Jac’cara Walker, Sr., OH, USF
Hannah Jacobs, So., OH, SMU
Montana Watts, Sr., L, SMU
Lexie Douglas, Jr., OH, Tulane
Erika Hansel, Sr., RS, Tulane*
Taylor Horsfall, Sr., DS/L, Tulsa
 
*denotes unanimous selection