(Portions of this story were taken from the Colorado College
and Trinity University websites)
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Southern Collegiate Athletic
Conference had three teams ranked in the 2010 American Volleyball
Coaches Association Division III Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll, it
was announced this afternoon by the AVCA headquarters. Colorado
College is ranked fifth, Trinity University is 12th and reigning
conference champion Southwestern University is ranked 16th.
DePauw University and Austin College also received votes in the
preseason poll.
To view the complete AVCA Division III Coaches Top 25
Preseason Poll, click here.
Defending national champion Washington University in St. Louis
begins the 2010 volleyball season in the same position in which it
exited last year - as the No. 1 team in the nation. The Bears
snagged all 24 first-place votes.
Colorado College received the highest national ranking in the
31-year history of the program today, earning the No. 5 spot in the
AVCA Top 25 Preseason Poll.
The Tigers finished the 2009 campaign ranked No. 7 after posting a
35-5 record and advancing to the national quarterfinals for the
first time. The highest CC had been ranked in a preseason poll was
No. 12 in 1998.
Trinity University is ranked 12th in the AVCA Top 25
Preseason Poll, just eight points behind 11th-ranked
Wittenberg.
Last season, Trinity qualified for the NCAA playoffs for the 18th
straight time, and won the South Regional at Georgetown, Texas. The
Tigers defeated Randolph-Macon, defending national champion
Emory, and host Southwestern in the regional, earning a trip to the
national quarterfinals for the fifth time in school history.
Top-ranked Juniata beat Trinity in the quarterfinals at John
Carroll University in Ohio.
Trinity completed the year with a 30-12 record (13-5 SCAC) and a
No. 8 national ranking.
Southwestern University is ranked 16th in the AVCA Preseason Poll
after the Pirates went a perfect 15-0 in conference action and
emerged as SCAC champions at the conference Tournament in early
November.
Southwestern ended its historic season after a 33-match winning
streak was snapped in the NCAA South Regional Final against
Trinity. The Pirates (35-4) were ranked 13th in the final poll
of the 2009 season.