Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina senior setter Katie Boney earned preseason All-Southern Conference honors on Thursday as the league unveiled its preseason awards and coaches' poll ahead of the 2026 season. The Catamounts were one of six teams represented on the league's eight-member all-conference team.
WCU was tabbed eighth out of 10 teams in the 2026 SoCon Preseason poll voted on by the league's coaches.
The reigning Southern Conference Setter of the Year, Boney led the Catamount offensive attack in 2025 with 1,066 assists, ranking nationally in total assists and assists per set. She recorded nine double-doubles and collected a league-best five SoCon Setter of the Week honors during the 2025 campaign. Boney also became the 17th player in school history to eclipse 1,000 assists in her career. She enters 2026 just 109 assists away from becoming the 12th in program history to hit the 2,000 mark.
One of three Catamounts to start all 29 matches in 2025 spanning all 104 sets, Boney averaged a SoCon-best 10.25 assists per set. She posted 40 or more assists nine times, cresting the 50-assist threshold six times, while dishing out at least 22 assists in each of her 29 matches. She set a career benchmark with 64 assists in a five-set battle against Chattanooga.
Off the court, the Brookhaven, Ga. native earned the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors, SoCon Honor Roll, and a league Commissioner's Medal.
Joining Boney on the preseason squad was the defending SoCon Player of the Year in ETSU's Makayla Bays, Tennyson Gorman of Furman, UNCG's Allie Sweet, Ally Cordes from Samford, and a trio of student-athletes from Wofford including Bradley Brown, Chloe Smith and the reigning Libero of the Year Laney Klika.
The preseason All-SoCon team included four outside hitters, two middle blockers, a libero and a setter.
ETSU was selected as the preseason favorite by the league's coaches with 77 points and five first-place votes, edging Wofford by five points as the Terriers earned four first-place votes to accompany their three all-conference honorees. Furman earned the final first-place vote and totaled 69 points to earn third place in the poll.
UNCG was tabbed fourth with 50 points just ahead of Chattanooga (48) and Samford (46). Newcomer Tennessee Tech earned 29 points for seventh, followed by Western Carolina (28) and Mercer (22) before The Citadel (9) rounded out the 10-team preseason poll.
Preseason practice for the Catamount volleyball team continues ahead of the squad's lone exhibition match against Anderson University scheduled for tomorrow night, Friday, Aug. 21, at 6 p.m. on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. WCU opens the 2026 season a week later against Butler at Clemson's Big Orange Bash in the first of two early-season tournaments before opening its home schedule on Tuesday, Sept. 8, against Gardner-Webb.
Keep track of everything related to Catamount volleyball and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts, @catamountvb), and Twitter (@catamounts, @catamountvb).
2026 Southern Conference Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll
- ETSU (5) 77
- Wofford (4) 72
- Furman (1) 69
- UNCG 50
- Chattanooga 48
- Samford 46
- Tennessee Tech 29
- Western Carolina 28
- Mercer 22
- The Citadel 9
2026 Volleyball Preseason All-Southern Conference Team
Makayla Bays, ETSU, OH
Tennyson Gorman, Furman, MB
Allie Sweet, UNCG, OH
Ally Cordes, Samford, OH
Katie Boney, Western Carolina, S
Bradley Brown, Wofford, MB
Laney Klika, Wofford, LIB
Chloe Smith, Wofford, OH
