🏐 Bien, Langs Named to All-Big 12 Preseason Team

IRVING, Texas – Two Kansas players earned a spot on the 2022 All-Big 12 Preseason Team, which was announced Wednesday morning by the conference office.

Returning All-American Caroline Bien, a sophomore outside hitter, was a unanimous selection to the team, while super-senior middle blocker Rachel Langs also earned a spot on the team. Kansas is one of four teams with multiple players selected to the All-Big 12 Preseason Team.

Bien had a stellar freshman season at KU last fall and she appears on the All-Big 12 Preseason Team for the second straight season after being chosen as the Preseason Freshman of the Year in 2021. She followed up that selection by leading the Jayhawks with 336 kills, an average of 2.95 per set, while hitting .216 for the season as she helped Kansas reach the Sweet Sixteen for the third time in program history.

For her efforts, Bien was named an Honorable Mention All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) after also being selected as the AVCA Regional Freshman of the Year and the Big 12 Freshman of the Year. Bien was twice named the Big 12 Rookie of the Week last season and she was selected to the Pittsburgh All-Regional Team for her performance in the NCAA Tournament. Since completing her freshman season, Bien has competed in the U.S. Women’s National Team Open Program in February and she was part of the 2022 Women’s Under-21 (U21) National Training Team for USA Volleyball in May-June.

Langs is on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team for the second time, having previously earned a selection in 2019. Last season, Langs led the Jayhawks and ranked seventh in the Big 12 with 131 blocks, an average of 1.16 per set. She also totaled 161 kills with an attack percentage of .251.

Langs has appeared in 99 matches during her career as a Jayhawk and she enters the 2022 season with career totals of 532 kills and 409 blocks. She has earned three weekly awards from the Big 12 in her career, garnering Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week on October 1, 2018, and November 22, 2021, in addition to the Big 12 Rookie of the Week on October 15, 2018. In addition, Langs is a three-time Academic All-Big First Team selection.

Kansas Volleyball opens the 2022 season on August 26-27 at the Utah Classic, where it will face Utah Valley, Utah and Loyola Marymount in Salt Lake City, Utah.