Charlotte Star Lara Kretschmer Makes Preseason All-Conference Team
Lara Kretschmer of the Charlotte volleyball team has been named to the preseason all-conference team for the American, announced by the league office on Monday morning.
Kretschmer, a graduate student from Berlin, Germany, led Charlotte in points (380.5), kills (265), service aces (32), and total blocks (143.0) a season ago. She played in all 118 sets, and her average of 1.21 blocks per set ranked tops in the American Athletic Conference.
Last season, Kretschmer ended the regular season playing some of her best volleyball. She posted double digit kills in three consecutive matches in November, including setting a career high for blocks with 16 (12 solo) against Florida Atlantic. She followed that up with nine solo blocks in an upset win over rival East Carolina.
“What a tremendous honor for Lara to be recognized on the AAC preseason all-conference team,” said coach Karen Weatherington. “It shows great respect for her talent and our program. Lara’s tenacity shows in her play and her work ethic never wanes. She is impactful in everything she does. We look forward to a great season with her and are excited to see what is ahead for us.”
Along with the all-conference team, the AAC released the preseason coaches’ poll which tabbed Charlotte 11th. Rice received eight of the 13 first-place votes to earn the top spot. Wichita State was picked second with four first place votes, with South Florida coming in third with the final vote. East Carolina, Florida Atlantic, and North Texas rounded out the top six. UTSA came in seventh, Temple eighth, Memphis ninth, and Tulsa in 10th. Tulane (12) and UAB (13) rounded out the poll.
Charlotte begins their 2024-25 season at the Furman Invitational this weekend with three matches. The Niners take on UTRGV and Charleston Southern on Friday (Aug. 30) and Furman on Saturday. To conclude the weekend, CLT plays host to UCF on Sunday at 3:00 pm inside Halton Arena.