Wake Forest Athletics
Natalie Mullikin Named to the Preseason All-ACC Team
8/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 12, 2008
WINSTON-SALEM - Graduate student Natalie Mullikin was named to the Preseason All-ACC team for the third straight year, as announced by the league office on Tuesday.
In the preseason team poll, also released today, Wake Forest was picked to finish tenth in the conference, in voting by the league's 12 head coaches. For the third year in a row, Mullikin was the Demon Deacons' lone representative on the 18-person, preseason team.
After earning preseason honors in 2007, Mullikin went on to garner first team All-ACC honors. She also earned second team All-ACC honors as a redshirt sophomore in 2006. In addition to her All-ACC honors, Mullikin earned Academic All-ACC honors each of the last two seasons.
The middle blocker from Lebanon, Ind. continued to re-write the record books in 2007. After setting Wake Forest's single-season record for total blocks, block solos and blocks per set in 2006, Mullikin became the school's all-time leader in career block solos in 2007. She broke Jenny Kraner's (1984-86) record of 87 and finished the season with 99 career block solos.
Mullikin ended the 2007 season with 143 total blocks, 445 kills and a .320 hitting percentage, finishing in the top ten of the ACC in all three categories. Her 108 block assists and 143 total blocks were second-most for a single-season in school history, while her 445 kills rank her fourth all-time for a single season.
In addition to holding the career block solos record, Mullikin has an opportunity to ink her name as the career leader in every block category. She is just 89 block assists and 74 total blocks away from the career marks in both categories. Mullikin is also second in career total blocks per set a 1.21, trailing only Morgan Havig (2001-04) at 1.30.
In the team poll, Wake Forest received 46 points and finished just seven points behind Miami in ninth.
Defending champion Clemson was picked as the favorite to win the ACC title this fall. The Tigers received 143 points and 11 of the 12 first-place votes.
Georgia Tech was picked to finish second for the second year in a row, garnering the remaining first-place vote, while Duke was tabbed for third.
North Carolina was picked fourth with 102 points while Florida State and Virginia tied for fifth at 84 points.
Maryland, Virginia Tech and Miami were picked in spots 7-9 and Boston College and NC State rounded out the poll in 11th and 12th.
Wake Forest returns nine letterwinners, including all six starters. An experienced group of returnees and a talented group of freshmen have the Deacs poised for a strong 2008 season.
Wake Forest will open the 2008 season by hosting the Deacon Invitational on Aug. 29 and 30. The Deacs will face Davidson at 7 pm on Friday and then take on Norfolk State at 12:30 pm and Winthrop at 7 pm on Saturday.
