LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. – In a vote by the league's head coaches, the Colorado College Tigers are tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the 2015 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference volleyball championship.
Colorado College snagged three of the eight possible first-place votes to total 59 points, finishing ahead of 2014 SCAC champion Trinity University. The Tigers posted a record of 30-9 overall and 11-3 in conference play during the 2014 season, while taking third in the SCAC tournament. CC earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, but fell in the second round to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges in a five-set battle.
Returning for CC will be the 2014 SCAC Player of the Year, junior Abbe Holtze. Holtze led the conference with 522 total kills, averaging 3.87 per set. These marks ranked 11th and 33rd in the nation, respectively.
Trinity University came in at a tie for No. 2 in the preseason poll, also earning three first-place votes, while totaling 54 points. The Tigers took the SCAC title in 2014, finishing with a mark of 13-1 in conference action while going 30-10 overall. TU finished the season in the NCAA tournament, making it all the way to the regional final before falling to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 3-1.
Junior setter Erika Edrington will be the long 2014 All-SCAC performer returning this season for the Tigers.
Southwestern University totaled two first-place votes to tie for second in the poll with 54 points. The Pirates earned the second-seed in the 2014 SCAC tournament after finishing conference play with a record of 12-2. The Pirates fell in the SCAC championship match to Trinity, ending their season with a record of 26-9.
Senior outside hitter Kaitlyn Foster will return for her final season after leading the team in both kills and digs with marks of 351 and 630, respectively. Also returning for the 2015 season are two other First Team All-SCAC selections, middle blocker Kirby Kincannon and outside hitter Macey Pool.
Texas Lutheran University checks in at No. 4 in the preseason poll with 36 points. The Bulldogs took fifth in the SCAC tournament last year, finishing the season with a record of 20-13 overall and 6-8 in SCAC action.
Austin College received 32 points in the preseason poll, coming in at No. 5. The 'Roos posted an overall record of 21-19 last season, while finishing 4-10 in the SCAC. They ended their season in the 5th/6th place match at the SCAC tournament, falling to Texas Lutheran.
Junior Presleigh Watson will return for the 'Roos this season after an impressive sophomore campaign where she totaled 162 blocks, the third-best mark in the nation.
University of Dallas came in at sixth in the voting with 28 points. The Crusaders finished fourth in both the regular season and SCAC tournament with an overall record of 23-13 and 8-6 in SCAC competition.
2014 Second-Team All-SCAC performer Jaime Birzer will return for UD after leading the team with 335 kills.
Schreiner University is the preseason No. 7 pick with 14 points. The Mountaineers finished with a record of 4-27 last year, including 2-12 in conference play.
Centenary College rounds out the list, totaling 11 points for No. 8 in the poll. The Ladies posted an overall record of 5-27 last year.
2015 SCAC Predicted Order of Finish
1. Colorado College - 59 pts (3)
T-2. Trinity University - 54 pts (3)
T-2. Southwestern University - 54 pts (2)
4. Texas Lutheran University - 36 pts
5. Austin College - 32 pts
6. University of Dallas - 28 pts
7. Schreiner University - 14 pts
8. Centenary College - 11 pts
(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.)
