WINTHROP, Mass. – Rivier University, which went 27-9 overall and 11-0 in league play a year ago, has been voted atop the 2014 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll, it was announced by the GNAC office Wednesday morning.
Rivier garnered nine first-place votes and 141 points in the poll, while Emmanuel College (23-14, 10-1 GNAC) collected the other three first-place nods and totaled 134 points for second place.
The Raiders, who are 67-5 over the last six seasons in GNAC play, claimed last year's GNAC Tournament title, defeating Emmanuel, 3-1, in the championship match. Rivier received an automatic NCAA Tournament bid as a result before falling to Richard Stockton in a first-round contest.
While Rivier has lost 2013 GNAC Player of the Year Nicole Peacock to graduation, a pair of other 2013 All-Conference First Team selections return in junior setter Emily O'Reilly and sophomore outside hitter Molly McCormack. O'Reilly ranked first among conference leaders last season in both assists (9.48) and service aces per set (0.77), while McCormack averaged 2.20 kills and 2.71 digs per set.
Johnson & Wales University (15-20, 9-2 GNAC) finished third in the poll with 113 points, narrowly ahead of fourth-place Saint Joseph's College of Maine (19-12, 7-4 GNAC), which totaled 108 points.
Lasell College (17-16, 7-4 GNAC) took the fifth spot with 98 points, while Simmons College (11-25, 7-4 GNAC) placed sixth with 88 points and Suffolk University (16-14, 5-6 GNAC) finished seventh with 62 points.
Making up the remainder of the poll, as voted upon by the league's 12 head coaches, were the University of Saint Joseph (9-19, 3-8 GNAC) with 54 points, Norwich University (6-21, 3-8 GNAC) with 47 points, Anna Maria College (11-15, 3-8 GNAC) with 40 points, Mount Ida College (4-27, 0-11 GNAC) with 26 points and Albertus Magnus College (9-14, 1-10 GNAC) with 25 points.
The top-eight teams will cement 2014 GNAC Tournament bids, with quarterfinals at highest seeds scheduled for Tuesday, November 2. The title match will take place Saturday, Nov. 8.
Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 12 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 17 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement.
2014 GNAC Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll
| 1. Rivier (9) - 141 |
| 2. Emmanuel (3) - 134 |
| 3. Johnson & Wales - 113 |
| 4. Saint Joseph's - 108 |
| 5. Lasell - 98 |
| 6. Simmons - 88 |
| 7. Suffolk - 62 |
| 8. Saint Joseph (CT) - 54 |
| 9. Norwich - 47 |
| 10. Anna Maria - 40 |
| 11. Mount Ida - 26 |
| 12. Albertus Magnus - 25 |
() Indicates number of first-place votes
COURTESY OF GNAC SPORTS INFORMATION OFFICE
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
