LEXINGTON, Ky. – The American Volleyball Coaches Association released the 2015 NCAA Division III Preseason Poll Thursday and two Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference teams earned a spot in the top 25. Full release
Colorado College sits at No. 15 in the rankings, just one spot ahead of Trinity University in No. 16. Southwestern University also received votes in the poll.
CC finished the 2014 season with a 30-9 record, falling in the second round of the NCAA tournament to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges. The Tigers finished third in both the SCAC regular season and SCAC tournament.
Returning this year for CC is junior Abbe Holtze, the 2014 SCAC Player of the Year. Holtze led the conference with 522 kills, averaging 3.87 per set. She also notched 418 digs, which ranked ninth in the conference. Also coming back are seniors Sophie Merrifield and Courtney Birkett. Birkett ranked third on the team with 215 kills, while also notching 215 digs. As libero, Merrifield marked 739 digs to lead the squad and rank second in the SCAC.
Trinity comes in one spot behind CC after finishing the 2014 season in the regional final also against the Athenas of CMS. They posted a 30-10 record on the season, winning both the SCAC regular season championship and the tournament.
TU will be young this year, bringing in 12 first-year players, with only five total juniors or seniors. Setter Erika Edrington will return for her junior season. Edrington helped anchor an offense that led the league in kills and hitting percentage. Individually, she ranked second among the conference in total assists and assists per set. She also tallied 59 kills, hitting .291, and had a hand in 28 blocks. Senior Shannon Courtney will also be back this season. She ranked fourth in the conference and first among the Tigers' squad with 637 digs.
Seven of the eight SCAC teams will be back in action beginning September 1. Trinity will take on St. Thomas, while Colorado will face Johnson & Wales.
