LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – Three-time reigning Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) champion Colorado College was tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the SCAC volleyball championship in 2013 in the annual vote of the league's head coaches.
Colorado College garnered seven of the eight possible first-place votes and tallied 63 of the 64 total points to earn the top preseason spot. The Tigers, ranked 17th in the AVCA preseason poll, posted a 8-2 mark in SCAC play while finishing 23-10 overall last year and won the program's third consecutive SCAC championship over Trinity. The Tigers fell 3-0 to Puget Sound in the NCAA Tournament.
Trinity University closely checked in at No. 2 in the preseason poll, earning one first place vote and 54 total points.. Trinity, who is receiving votes in the 2013 AVCA Division III Coaches Top 25 preseason poll, finished last season 20-16 overall and 8-2 in SCAC play, winning 20 of their final 28 matches. The Tigers dropped a 3-0 decision to Colorado College in the SCAC championship match and fell in the NCAA Tournament to Juniata, 3-0.
Southwestern University was third in the preseason poll with 49 total points. Southwestern, who is receiving votes in the 2013 AVCA Division III Coaches Top 25 preseason poll, finished the season 24-12 overall and 7-3 in league play. The Pirates fell to Trinity in the semifinals, but defeated Austin College to finish third at the SCAC Tournament and would earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. They fell to Cal Lutheran in the First Round, 3-1.
Austin College checked into the preseason coaches poll in fourth. The Kangaroos garnered 36 points and are coming off a 24-14 overall (5-5 SCAC) record from a year ago. The "Roos have won 20 or more games in 15 stragiht seasons.
New member Texas Lutheran University comes in fifth with 35 total points. The Bulldogs are coming off a 15-13 record in 2012. They finished second in the ASC West with a 12-4 record and qualified for the American Southwest Conference Tournament.
Schreiner University also enters its first season in the SCAC as they are predicted to finish sixth with 27 points. The Mountaineers come off a 12-15 record and an 8-8 record in the ASC. They finished third in the ASC West and qualified for the ASC Tournament for the first time since 1999.
The University of Dallas begins its third season in the SCAC and is the coaches No. 7 pick in this year's preseason poll with 16 points. The Crusaders enter 2013 off the heels of an 18-20 (2-8 SCAC) campaign.
Centenary College begins its second season as an SCAC member and round out the coaches poll in eighth place with 11 points. The Ladies will look to rebound after a tough 2012 season where they finished 2-32 and 0-10 in the SCAC.
2013 SCAC Predicted Order of Finish
1. Colorado College - 63 Pts (7) - 2012 Record - 8-2 SCAC / 23-10 Overall
2. Trinity University - 54 Pts (1) - 2012 Record - 8-2 SCAC / 20-16 Overall
3. Southwestern University - 49 Pts - 2012 Record - 7-3 SCAC / 24-12 Overall
4. Austin College 'Roos - 36 Pts - 2012 Record - 5-5 SCAC / 24-14 Overall
5. *Texas Lutheran University Bulldogs - 35 Pts - 2012 Record - 12-4 ASC / 15-13 Overall
6. *Schreiner University Mountaineers - 27 Pts - 2012 Record - 8-8 ASC / 12-15 Overall
7. University of Dallas Crusaders - 16 Pts - 2012 Record - 2-8 SCAC / 18-20 Overall
8. Centenary College Ladies - 11 Pts - 2012 Record - 0-10 SCAC / 2-32 Overall
(Eight points were awarded for a first-place vote, seven points for a second-place, down to one point for an eighth-place vote. First-place votes in parenthesis.)
*Texas Lutheran and Schreiner were both members of the ASC in 2012.
