WICHITA FALLS, Texas – Midwestern State totaled 509 points in the Lone Star Conference Preseason Volleyball Poll and is picked to finish 10th in the 18-team conference. Isabella Dickens, Jenna Redding and Macy Scheer are among the Preseason Players to Watch.

The preseason poll and preseason players of the year are voted on by LSC head coaches, sports information directors and media members.

The Mustangs finished ninth in the conference last season with a 16-10 overall record while going 9-8 in conference play. MSU just missed out on a berth in the conference tournament last year, but this year the tournament field has been expanded to nine teams.

Isabella Dickens, who hails from Iowa Park, Texas, is an LSC Offensive Player to Watch as she begins her senior season with the Mustangs. The middle hitter was second-team All-Conference last season after totaling 276 kills and hitting .293 to lead the squad, which hit .222 as a team. Dickens also led the team with 16 solo blocks.

Wichita Falls native Jenna Redding is an LSC Defensive Player to Watch as she enters her senior season. Among returning players, Redding led Midwestern State with 289 digs and 2.83 digs per set last year. She also had a career high 31 points as well as 64 assists and 31 aces. 

Newcomer Macy Scheer, a transfer from Concordia-Irvine, is an LSC Setter to Watch. The junior from Golden, Colorado, appeared in 41 matches during her two seasons with the Golden Eagles and played 112 sets. She had 383 total assists and averaged 3.42 assists per set while competing for the PacWest Conference program. 

Scheer joins a Midwestern State team that was an impressive 10-2 on its home floor last season with its only losses coming against Texas Woman's and Angelo State.

The Rambelles, who were 26-8 with a 15-2 conference record, won their 12th LSC regular season championship, second straight and 12th overall LSC tournament title last season. They also reached the NCAA Division II South Central Regional final. 

This year, Angelo State collected 41 of the possible 54 first-place votes and is picked to win its second consecutive LSC volleyball title with 951 points in the preseason poll.

Lubbock Christian, who shared the LSC regular season title with ASU last season, is predicted to finish in third place with 837 points and three first-place votes. The Lady Chaps went 25-8 overall and 15-2 in league play last season. LCU reached the conference tournament title game and advanced to the NCAA tournament.

UT Tyler is the fourth-place pick with 778 points. The Patriots went 17-12 overall and 12-5 last season.

St. Mary's is the fifth-place selections with 698 points. The Rattlers, who went 15-13 overall and 12-5 in LSC action last year, picked up one first-place vote.

Texas Woman's is picked to finish sixth with 691 points, followed by Oklahoma Christian (645 points), Texas A&M-Kingsville (585 points) and 2023 LSC regular season champion DBU (527 points) to round out what would be the potential nine qualifiers for the LSC tournament. TWU and DBU picked up one first-place vote each.

Midwestern State opens its season on Aug. 28 against Truman State in the Fort Hays State Classic, where the Mustangs play three matches. The following week MSU is part of the field for the Mountain Lion Classic in Colorado Springs and will play four matches. 

The Mustangs first home appearance is Sept. 8 against Bethel College at 6 p.m. The first conference match at D.L. Ligon Coliseum is set for Sept. 25 against St. Edwards.

The nine-team LSC Volleyball Championship will be Nov. 11-14 at the site of the No. 1 seed, and all LSC volleyball regular season and tournament matches can be viewed live on FloCollege. Monthly, yearly and family subscriptions are available.