LANCASTER, Pa. – The Ursinus College volleyball team was selected tenth in the Centennial Conference preseason poll.
Defending champion Johns Hopkins topped the charts with nine first-place votes and 99 points, while Swarthmore was runner-up with one first-place nod and 84 points. Muhlenberg (79) was third, Franklin & Marshall (75, 1 first-place vote) fourth, and McDaniel (67) fifth to round out the projected playoff field. Haverford (52) finished sixth, followed by Gettysburg (51), Dickinson (37), Washington College (32), Ursinus (19), and Bryn Mawr (10).
Armed with a talented young roster, the Bears are looking to be more of a player on the conference stage this season. Senior captain Sydney Gonzalez returns to hold down the libero spot with 617 career digs to her name, and gives Ursinus one of the better servers in the conference with an average of nearly half an ace per set. Sophomore libero Grace Sullivan tied for third on the team with 129 digs last season.
Junior Kelly Piotrowicz (5.17 assists per set in 2017) and sophomore Paige DeAlba (4.12) give head coach Cecily Scavicchio a strong setting duo, while junior Miranda Foster is the team's returning leader in kills (147, 1.73 per set) and blocks (32, 0.38 per set).
Junior Lauren Novotny and sophomore Emily Harris earned valuable experience at the outside hitter position a year ago, as did junior Lydia Pierce at middle blocker. The Bears added two new first-year players to the mix, and sophomore softball player Amanda Ladzinski also joined the squad.
Ursinus opens the 2018 campaign with four matches at Moravian's Greyhound Premier Invitational, beginning with clashes against Alvernia and the host Greyhounds on Friday evening.