Big South

2014 Conference Awards

Attacking Player of the Year: Kacey Kelley, Coastal Carolina
Defensive Player of the Year: Holly Van Noord, Liberty
Freshman of the Year: Caroline Houser, UNC Asheville
Coach of the Year: Paul Hogan, Coastal Carolina

Teams (2014 overall, conference records)

Liberty (14-4-2, 8-1-1)
Coastal Carolina (11-8-2, 7-2-1)
High Point (12-5-4, 7-2-1)
Campbell (8-8-3, 5-3-2)
Gardner-Webb (8-10-2, 4-4-2)
Winthrop (8-9-1, 4-5-1)
UNC Asheville (10-9-1, 4-5-1)
Radford (7-10-2, 4-5-1)
Longwood (8-8-3, 3-5-2)
Charleston Southern (5-13-1, 1-8-1)
Presbyterian (3-10-3, 0-7-3)

The Big South was a grinder at the top last season, with Liberty, Coastal Carolina and High Point all trading barbs right until the final day of the conference season. Liberty escaped the regular season with the crown, but High Point stole it with a thrilling double OT winner to earn the right to rep the conference in the dance.

The good news for fans of this conference is all three return enough firepower to wage another memorable three-way battle in 2015. Each team returns a first-team all-conference player, with Liberty folding back in two in Van Noord, the conference’s top keeper, and midfielder Brittany Aanderud. High Point’s Jenny Marshall and Coastal’s Amber Adams make each of those three squads equally poised to do some damage. Even still, a motivated Liberty squad, as they will be after last year’s disappointment, is tough to count out to lift the ultimate trophy at season’s end. There’s too much talent back in play all up and down the team’s spine.

The bigger question is whether a team further down the pecking order can mount a charge and upset the status quo at the top, In a league that featured eight teams with at least four conference wins last year, anything’s possible. Gardner-Webb might struggle to maintain its position with a few key losses from last year, although forward Shelby Hooe was a firecracker last season. Campbell could be the conference’s dark horse if an in-form Ashley Clark can continue her torrid form from 2015 and the younger pieces gel around her.