Editor’s Note: The following is an official press release courtesy of LSU’s athletics department.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Middle blocker Anita Anwusi and outside hitter Sanaa Dotson graced the 2023 Preseason All-SEC Team, and LSU was picked to finish sixth in the SEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll announced by the league office Wednesday morning.
LSU accumulated 96 points in the SEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Kentucky, the reigning Co-SEC Champions, is favored to win the league and claimed 10 of the 13 first-place votes to finish with 142 total points. Florida, last season’s other Co-SEC Champions picked up two first-place votes and gathered 129 points, and Tennessee scooped the final first-place vote and came in at No. 3 with 113 points. Georgia follows at No. 4 with 106 points, and Arkansas rounds out the top five with 101 points.
Dotson was tabbed to the 2022 AVCA South All-Region Team after leading the Tigers with 3.66 kills per set (436 total) and 25 aces to go along with 49 total blocks and 2.25 digs per set last season. Dotson registered nine double-doubles and landed 20 or more kills in five matches in 2022.
Anwusi was a 2022 AVCA South All-Region Honorable Mention selection and led the Tigers with 1.14 blocks per set and 136 total blocks a year ago. Anwusi also contributed 1.86 kills per set (221 total) behind a .289 hitting percentage last season. The Houston, Texas native enters her senior season with 524 career kills and 346 career total blocks.
The Tigers open their 2023 campaign with a pair of matches against UCLA on Aug. 25-26 at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge. Season tickets for the 2023 LSU Volleyball season are now available and can be purchased here.
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Preseason Coaches’ Poll
(First-Place Votes in Parentheses)
| Place | School | Points |
| 1. | Kentucky (10) | 142 |
| 2. | Florida (2) | 129 |
| 3. | Tennessee (1) | 113 |
| 4. | Georgia | 106 |
| 5. | Arkansas | 101 |
| 6. | LSU | 96 |
| 7. | Auburn | 89 |
| 8. | Texas A&M | 63 |
| 9. | Ole Miss | 42 |
| Mississippi State | 42 | |
| 11. | South Carolina | 39 |
| 12. | Missouri | 30 |
| 13. | Alabama | 22 |
Volleyball Preseason All-SEC Team
| Name, School | Pos. | Yr. | Ht. | Hometown |
| Jillian Gillen, Arkansas | OH | Gr. | 5-7 | Stilwell, Kan. |
| Taylor Head, Arkansas | OH | Sr. | 5-10 | Winter Garden, Fla. |
| Akasha Anderson, Auburn | PH | So. | 6-3 | Reston, Va. |
| Alexis Stucky, Florida | S | So. | 6-2 | Laramie, Wy. |
| Kacie Evans, Georgia | OH | Gr. | 5-11 | Wadsworth, Ohio |
| Sophie Fischer, Georgia | MB | Sr. | 6-5 | Fort Mill, S.C. |
| Eleanor Beavin, Kentucky | L | Jr. | 5-5 | Louisville, Ky. |
| Emma Grome, Kentucky | S | Jr. | 5-9 | Loveland, Ohio |
| Reagan Rutherford, Kentucky | OH | Sr. | 6-0 | Missouri City, Texas |
| Azhani Tealer, Kentucky | MB | 5th | 5-10 | Grand Prairie, Texas |
| Anita Anwusi, LSU | MB | Gr. | 6-3 | Houston, Texas |
| Sanaa Dotson, LSU | OH | Gr. | 6-0 | Houston, Texas |
| Sasha Ratliff, Ole Miss | MB | Sr. | 6-2 | Atlanta, Ga. |
| Morgahn Fingall, Tennessee | RS | Gr. | 6-1 | Fairfax, Va. |
| Logan Lednicky, Texas A&M | OPP | So. | 6-3 | Sugar Land, Texas |
For the latest news and information on LSU Volleyball, visit www.lsusports.net/volleyball. Fans can follow the team on its social media outlets at www.facebook.com/lsuvolleyball and @lsuvolleyball on Instagram and Twitter.