Posted: Aug 27, 2008
SALEM, Va. --- Washington & Lee University received ten first place votes and 120 poll points as the Generals were picked first by the league's coaches in the 2008 ODAC Volleyball Preseason Poll. Randolph-Macon College collected 98 points for second place and Bridgewater College recorded 95 points to round out the top three selections. Virginia Wesleyan College received the final first place nod and finished with 97 total points. Roanoke, who finished 20-13, was picked fifth in the poll with 76 points.
Washington and Lee won its seventh straight and 11th overall ODAC title last season, earning the Generals an automatic bid into the NCAA tournament. The Generals traveled to Sherman, Texas, for regional play, where they fell 3-0 to Southwestern University in the first round.
Washington and Lee (29-6 overall, 9-1 ODAC in 2007) returns several top players to its squad including three All-ODAC first team selections. Senior outside hitter Laura Maurer ranked third in the league last season in kills with 369 and eighth in digs with 3.92 per game. Senior right side Jessica Ulrich sat seventh in the league in hitting percentage (.273) and recorded 53 service aces and 320 digs. Junior outside hitter Rachael Phillips ranked near the top in several statistical categories including second in kills (396, 4.12 per game) and fourth in hitting percentage (.314).
Randolph-Macon (11-16, 6-4) entered the 2007 ODAC Championship as the sixth seed. The Yellow Jackets defeated #3 Virginia Wesleyan 3-2 in the quarterfinal round before falling 3-0 in the semifinals to eventual ODAC champion, Washington and Lee. R-MC returns All-ODAC second team selection, middle hitter April Hines. Hines finished the season with 231 kills, 38 service aces, 111 digs and 99 blocks. The Yellow Jackets also welcome back senior middle hitter Kendra Smith, who recorded 83 total blocks last season at 1.30 per game, good enough for second in the league.
Bridgewater (31-2, 10-2) will be under new direction with Greg Spector taking over for long-time mentor, Mary Frances Heishman. The Eagles will also have to replace the production of 2007 ODAC Player of the Year, Marsha Hermes. First team middle hitter, junior Erika Dirnagl, ranked second in league last season in hitting percentage (.330) and service aces (73, 0.67 per game) while placing fifth in kills (334, 3.06 per game). Classmate Tricia Davis, a second-team selection at setter, led the conference in assists with 1,365 (12.41 per game). Junior Mandy Hill returns to the middle of the net after tallying 124 blocks last season, good enough for third in the league.
Virginia Wesleyan (17-14, 7-3) lost first team setter Grace Geralds to graduation, but the Marlins return the ODAC Rookie of the Year, Rebecca Leedom and second team selection, Debbie Sterne. Leedom will be a key performer on the outside after recording 331 kills, 53 service aces and 427 digs during her first season with the Marlins. Sterne, a junior middle hitter, ranked fourth in kills (364, 3.11 per game) and blocks (126, 1.08 per game) a year ago. The Marlins will also look for help from sophomore setter Marissa Wood, who ranked seventh in the league in service aces last season with 59.
Roanoke, who finished with a 20-13 record a year ago, capped their third 20-win season in school history with a three-win improvement from 2006. Head coach Blair Trail has taken the program to from a low-tier program into a regional contender. In just her 10th season, Trail is the second-highest active ODAC Coach in career wins with 166, already the most in program history. The Maroons return juniors Erin Burnop and Caitlyn Long, who are two-year starters and will provide upperclassmen leadership this fall. Long broke her own single-season digs record and Burnop is the leading returner in kills (279) and led the team in attacks (884). Also back is senior Marcy Conner, who led the team with 88 total blocks (46 solo) and is the team co-captain along with fellow senior Lauren Reznik.
The 2008 campaign gets underway on Friday, August 29. The 2008 ODAC Championship will be held Friday and Saturday, November 7-8, at Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia.
Listed below is the 2008 ODAC Volleyball Preseason Poll. For more information on ODAC volleyball, visit www.odaconline.com or any of the competing schools' websites.
2008 ODAC Volleyball Preseason Poll
(#) Denotes first place votes
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1. Washington & Lee
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120 (10)
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2. Randolph-Macon
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98
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3. Bridgewater
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95
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4. Virginia Wesleyan
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94 (1)
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5. Roanoke
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76
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6. Lynchburg
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71
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7. Emory & Henry
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60
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8. Eastern Mennonite
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41
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9. Guilford
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30
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10. Randolph
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24
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11. Sweet Briar
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17
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