Volleyball picked fourth in ACC preseason rankings
Posted: Mon Aug 04, 2025 9:45 pm
From SMUMustangs.com:
Anyanwu, Carlson, Jones named to Preseason All-ACC Team; SMU picked fourth
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com/SMU) – SMU Volleyball players Malaya Jones, Averi Carlson and Favor Anyanwu were voted to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference Preseason team by the ACC coaches, and SMU was chosen fourth in the preseason poll.
The Mustangs finished fourth in the ACC a season ago, after being picked sixth in the preseason. SMU trails defending ACC Champions, Pitt, then Louisville and Stanford, while North Carolina rounded out the top five behind SMU. SMU finished the 2024 season, 25-8, 16-4 in ACC play, earning a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and hosting the first two rounds for the first time in program history.
The 2024 Preseason Volleyball All-ACC Team consisted of 18 players and was voted on by the league's head coaches. Pitt leads the way with the most players on this year's preseason team, with four representatives. SMU, Stanford and Louisville follow, each having three players listed.
Carlson transferred to SMU after two seasons at Baylor, followed by one year at Texas. Last season, she played in 93 sets and 25 matches in her lone season with the Longhorns, totaling 787 assists, averaging 8.46 assists per set, including seven games with 40+ assists. During her second season in Waco, Carlson was named AVCA All-Southwest Region First Team, All-Big 12 Second Team, Academic All-Big 12 First Team, and CSC Academic All-District as a sophomore. In her first collegiate season, Carlson was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year, AVCA Southwest Region Freshman of the Year, AVCA All-Southwest Region Honorable Mention, All-Big 12 First Team, All-Big 12 Freshman Team and a five-time Big 12 Rookie of the Week winner. The Lucas, Texas native was voted Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year, entering her first season with Baylor after a decorated high school career where she was ranked No. 4 by PrepVolleyball.com and the top setter of the 2022 class while also being named both National and Texas Gatorade Player of the Year.
Anyanwu returned to her home state to SMU after one season at USC, where she played 24 matches as a freshman. In those appearances, she collected 133 kills and 85 blocks as a Trojan. The Rowlett, Texas native prepped at Sachse High School. Anyanwu racked up numerous high school accolades, including being ranked No. 2 on VolleyballMag.com's Fab 50 selection, an Under Armour All-American, Texas District 9-6A Offensive Player of the Year, Dallas Star News First Team and Middle Blocker of the Year, Dallas Morning News All-Area Third Team, Texas Girls' Coaches Association All-Star Team and All-State Team and Texas Sportswriters First-Team All-State Middle Blocker. Anyanwu has had several stints with USA Volleyball, most recently winning Gold this summer at the 2025 Pan American Cup in Puerto Rico alongside current SMU teammate Jadyn Livings. She was awarded the 2nd Best Blocker Award after the competition concluded.
Jones transferred to SMU from Colorado State, where she was an AVCA All-American Honorable Mention, AVCA West Region First Team and the Mountain West Player of the Year in 2024. Last season, Jones ranked 13th nationally with 4.69 kills per set. Her 567 kills were the fifth most in the NCAA. Jones tallied 14 matches with 20 or more kills for the Rams last season, including 26 kills in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Texas A&M. This is the second preseason honor for Jones, as she was one of 30 players in the country to be included in the AVCA Preseason National Player of the Year watchlist.
Fans will get their first chance to see the Mustangs at the Red vs. Blue scrimmage at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 15. The Mustangs will begin the 2025 regular season on Aug. 29 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, against LSU.
For all things SMU Volleyball, follow the program on Instagram, X, and Facebook.
2025 Preseason All-ACC Volleyball Team:
Larissa Mendes, Georgia Tech
Cara Cresse, Louisville
Chloe Chicoine, Louisville
Nayelis Cabello, Louisville
Flormarie Heredia Colon, Miami
Ariana Rodriguez, Miami
Safi Hampton, North Carolina
Morgan Gaerte, Notre Dame
Olivia Babcock, Pittsburgh
Bre Kelley, Pittsburgh
Ryla Jones, Pittsburgh
Blaire Bayless, Pittsburgh
Malaya Jones, SMU
Averi Carlson, SMU
Favor Anyanwu, SMU
Elia Rubin, Stanford
Jordyn Harvey, Stanford
Ipar Kurt, Stanford
2025 Preseason ACC Volleyball Coaches Poll:
1. Pitt, 279 | 10 first-place votes
2. Louisville, 271 | 4 first-place votes
3. Stanford, 264 | 2 first-place votes
4. SMU, 243
5. North Carolina, 212
6. Georgia Tech, 210
7. Miami, 190
8. Florida State, 180
9. Virginia, 135
10. NC State, 134
11. Duke, 127
12. Notre Dame, 126
13. Boston College, 96
14. California, 90
15. Wake Forest, 84
16. Clemson, 62
17. Syracuse, 31
18. Virginia Tech, 20
Anyanwu, Carlson, Jones named to Preseason All-ACC Team; SMU picked fourth
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (theACC.com/SMU) – SMU Volleyball players Malaya Jones, Averi Carlson and Favor Anyanwu were voted to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference Preseason team by the ACC coaches, and SMU was chosen fourth in the preseason poll.
The Mustangs finished fourth in the ACC a season ago, after being picked sixth in the preseason. SMU trails defending ACC Champions, Pitt, then Louisville and Stanford, while North Carolina rounded out the top five behind SMU. SMU finished the 2024 season, 25-8, 16-4 in ACC play, earning a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament and hosting the first two rounds for the first time in program history.
The 2024 Preseason Volleyball All-ACC Team consisted of 18 players and was voted on by the league's head coaches. Pitt leads the way with the most players on this year's preseason team, with four representatives. SMU, Stanford and Louisville follow, each having three players listed.
Carlson transferred to SMU after two seasons at Baylor, followed by one year at Texas. Last season, she played in 93 sets and 25 matches in her lone season with the Longhorns, totaling 787 assists, averaging 8.46 assists per set, including seven games with 40+ assists. During her second season in Waco, Carlson was named AVCA All-Southwest Region First Team, All-Big 12 Second Team, Academic All-Big 12 First Team, and CSC Academic All-District as a sophomore. In her first collegiate season, Carlson was named Big 12 Freshman of the Year, AVCA Southwest Region Freshman of the Year, AVCA All-Southwest Region Honorable Mention, All-Big 12 First Team, All-Big 12 Freshman Team and a five-time Big 12 Rookie of the Week winner. The Lucas, Texas native was voted Preseason Big 12 Freshman of the Year, entering her first season with Baylor after a decorated high school career where she was ranked No. 4 by PrepVolleyball.com and the top setter of the 2022 class while also being named both National and Texas Gatorade Player of the Year.
Anyanwu returned to her home state to SMU after one season at USC, where she played 24 matches as a freshman. In those appearances, she collected 133 kills and 85 blocks as a Trojan. The Rowlett, Texas native prepped at Sachse High School. Anyanwu racked up numerous high school accolades, including being ranked No. 2 on VolleyballMag.com's Fab 50 selection, an Under Armour All-American, Texas District 9-6A Offensive Player of the Year, Dallas Star News First Team and Middle Blocker of the Year, Dallas Morning News All-Area Third Team, Texas Girls' Coaches Association All-Star Team and All-State Team and Texas Sportswriters First-Team All-State Middle Blocker. Anyanwu has had several stints with USA Volleyball, most recently winning Gold this summer at the 2025 Pan American Cup in Puerto Rico alongside current SMU teammate Jadyn Livings. She was awarded the 2nd Best Blocker Award after the competition concluded.
Jones transferred to SMU from Colorado State, where she was an AVCA All-American Honorable Mention, AVCA West Region First Team and the Mountain West Player of the Year in 2024. Last season, Jones ranked 13th nationally with 4.69 kills per set. Her 567 kills were the fifth most in the NCAA. Jones tallied 14 matches with 20 or more kills for the Rams last season, including 26 kills in the first round of the NCAA Tournament against Texas A&M. This is the second preseason honor for Jones, as she was one of 30 players in the country to be included in the AVCA Preseason National Player of the Year watchlist.
Fans will get their first chance to see the Mustangs at the Red vs. Blue scrimmage at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 15. The Mustangs will begin the 2025 regular season on Aug. 29 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, against LSU.
For all things SMU Volleyball, follow the program on Instagram, X, and Facebook.
2025 Preseason All-ACC Volleyball Team:
Larissa Mendes, Georgia Tech
Cara Cresse, Louisville
Chloe Chicoine, Louisville
Nayelis Cabello, Louisville
Flormarie Heredia Colon, Miami
Ariana Rodriguez, Miami
Safi Hampton, North Carolina
Morgan Gaerte, Notre Dame
Olivia Babcock, Pittsburgh
Bre Kelley, Pittsburgh
Ryla Jones, Pittsburgh
Blaire Bayless, Pittsburgh
Malaya Jones, SMU
Averi Carlson, SMU
Favor Anyanwu, SMU
Elia Rubin, Stanford
Jordyn Harvey, Stanford
Ipar Kurt, Stanford
2025 Preseason ACC Volleyball Coaches Poll:
1. Pitt, 279 | 10 first-place votes
2. Louisville, 271 | 4 first-place votes
3. Stanford, 264 | 2 first-place votes
4. SMU, 243
5. North Carolina, 212
6. Georgia Tech, 210
7. Miami, 190
8. Florida State, 180
9. Virginia, 135
10. NC State, 134
11. Duke, 127
12. Notre Dame, 126
13. Boston College, 96
14. California, 90
15. Wake Forest, 84
16. Clemson, 62
17. Syracuse, 31
18. Virginia Tech, 20