Ex-Clovis volleyball star makes All-ACC preseason team

Genny Mayhew was torn between settling for the comfort of California and packing her suitcase for the Sunshine State five years ago.

To accept a volleyball scholarship at Miami, a program in its infancy, or find a program close to home. That was the question as the clock ticked on her final days at Clovis High.

Today, the 5-foot-11 senior outside hitter for the Hurricanes wouldn’t have it any other way.

“I definitely made the right choice,” said Mayhew, a former Bee All-Star.

This week, Mayhew was rewarded for taking the plunge. She was named to the All-Atlantic Coast Conference preseason team. Last year she made strides as a second-team pick.

“Pretty cool,” was her reaction.

Hurricanes coach Nicole Lantagne Welch wasn’t surprised in the least.

“Genny has been a key player for us and it’s something she’s been building toward,” Lantagne Welch said.

Mayhew joined Miami in 2006, the fifth year of the program. The Hurricanes went 12-19 her freshman year and 14-17 the next.

Then everything clicked in 2008 with a 26-6 record — the most wins in program history — and a third-place finish in conference, only one game behind the co-champions. Mayhew’s 356 kills ranked second on the team and she had 280 digs, 46 blocks and 40 assists.

This season, she takes on the role of captain for a team with high hopes of securing the program’s second appearance in NCAA Tournament.

“We’ve got all our key players back,” Lantagne Welch said, “and I’m counting on Genny’s fire and determination to bring our team to new heights. … I’m looking for her to add more consistency in her all-around game and give us more blocking presence.”

Duke was the ACC coaches’ favorite to win it all. Florida State was second and Miami was picked third. But only 15 points in the voting separated them.

“This is the year we can definitely win it all,” Lantagne Welch said. “We have the pieces in place to challenge.”

Winning the program’s first ACC championship is motivation enough. But the Hurricanes will draw on last year’s frustrating finish to also light a fuse under them.

“We got snubbed by the NCAA for the tournament, so it’s hard to find a team as motivated as us,” Mayhew said.

“We came out of nowhere as the underdog last year. We stunned people, and sometimes even ourselves. Now we’re going in with expectations to not take any chances and win the ACC and the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.”

The reporter can be reached at jdavis@fresnobee.com or (559) 441-6401.