PORTLAND, Ore. – The first point of the 2021 volleyball season has yet to be played. But Maddie Batiste and Hannah Hair already have caught the attention of coaches around the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
 
The pair of Seattle Pacific standouts have been voted to the Preseason All-GNAC team that was announced on Tuesday. Hair was a unanimous selection.
 
Batiste is a senior outside hitter. She is getting ready for her fifth season in a Falcons uniform, taking advantage of an extra year of eligibility granted by the NCAA after the 2020 fall season was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. In 2019, the 6-footer earned All-GNAC honorable mention recognition, slamming 369 kills (3.51 per game) and coming up with 344 digs (3.28 per game).
 
During the abbreviated 2021 spring season, Batiste led the Falcons with 185 kills in the spring, an average of 2.76 per game. She also had 172 digs, served 21 aces, and had a hand on 29 blocks.
 
Hair is a 6-foot-1 middle blocker. A sophomore academically, this will be her official freshman year, as last spring did not burn a year of eligibility. She played in all 18 spring matches and led the GNAC in total blocks with 90. Her 170 kills ranked second on the team behind Batiste, and she led Seattle Pacific with a .340 hitting percentage, ranking No. 2 on the conference list.
 
A total of 14 players were named to the team in a vote by the 10 GNAC head coaches.
 
After beginning fall practice on Monday, SPU plays an exhibition match at Seattle University on Friday, The first serve is at 6:00 p.m.


GNAC VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAM

Preseason Player of the Year: Eve Stephens, Alaska Anchorage
 
Name                                              School                                 Pos.        Ht.           Yr.           Hometown (Previous School)
*+@$ Eve Stephens          Alaska Anchorage      OPP    6-1     Jr.    Palmer, Alaska (Colony)
*@ Calley Heilborn         Western Washington    OH     6-1     So.    Auburn, Wash. (Auburn Riverside)
*+@ Cate Whiting           Alaska Fairbanks      S      5-10    Sr.    Rapid City, S.D. (Rapid City Stevens)
*Hannah Hair               Seattle Pacific       MB     6-1     So.    Walla Walla, Wash. (Walla Walla)
*@ Ellen Floyd             Alaska Anchorage      S      5-10    Jr.    Pensacola, Fla. (Pensocola Catholic)
*+@ Gabby Gunterman        Western Washington    OH     5-10    So.    Lake Stevens, Wash. (Lake Stevens)
@ Brooke Foster           Northwest Nazarene    OH     6-1     Jr.    Boise, Idaho (Univ. of Montana)
Ashley Kaufman            Central Washington    OH     5-8     So.    Hayden, Idaho (Lake City)
AveRee Reynolds           Alaska Fairbanks      RS     6-1     Sr.    Petersboro, Utah (Eastern Arizona Coll.)
*+@ Julia Tays             Simon Fraser          S      5-10    Sr.    Winnipeg, Man. (St. Mary's Academy)
@ Bayli Monck             Montana St.Billings   OPP    5-10    Sr.    Colorado Springs, Colo. (Vista Ridge)
Maddie Batiste            Seattle Pacific       OH     6-0     Sr.    Portland, Ore. (Central Catholic)
Malia Aleaga              Western Washington    S      5-7     So.    Burien, Wash. (Kennedy Catholic)
Tia Andaya                Central Washington    OH/S   5-9     So.    Ellensburg, Wash. (Ellensburg)
 
* - Unanimous Selection
+ - 2019 Preseason All-Conference Selection
@ - 2019 First Team All-Conference Selection
# - 2019 Honorable Mention All-Conference Selection
$ - 2018 First Team All-Conference Selection