Aug. 11, 2006

RICHMOND, Va. - George Mason was picked to finish ninth in the Colonial Athletic Association by a vote of the league's 10 women's volleyball coaches in a pre-season poll released by the conference.

The Patriots, whose 2006 season begins on Friday, Aug. 25 with a match against American at 7 p.m. in Washington, D.C., finished tied for ninth place in the conference standings last season with UNC-Wilmington. Mason will attempt to reverse those fortunes this season, infusing three experienced starters in senior middle blocker Chantal Bodkin-Clarke, senior middle blocker Janelle Wilson and junior outside hitter Jaqueline Kohler with a number of talented newcomers including freshman setter Katie Corcoran, freshman middle blocker/opposite hitter Laura Turner and freshman middle blocker/opposite hitter Sam Simmonds.

Defending CAA volleyball champion VCU is favored to claim the title again in 2006 according to the poll. The Rams received seven first-place votes and 79 total points to take the top spot in the poll. Hofstra, which finished atop the CAA regular-season standings a year ago, picked up a pair of first-place votes and was chosen second with 70 points, while Towson got the remaining first-place vote and was third with 65 points. James Madison was fourth in the poll, followed by Delaware, Georgia State, Northeastern, William & Mary, George Mason and UNC-Wilmington.

VCU returns six starters from last season's 22-12 squad that captured its first CAA title and advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time. Under new coach James Finley, the Rams improved their win total by 16 matches over the 2004 season, which was the second-biggest turnaround in Division I. VCU also set a school record for CAA victories (11) and became the first No. 4 seed in league history to win the tournament championship. Among the returnees for the Rams are senior outside hitter Ludmila Francescatto, who was a First-Team All-CAA selection and the MVP of the CAA Tournament, senior middle blocker Melissa Peterson and sophomore outside hitter Ana Luiza De Borja, who made the CAA All-Rookie squad.

Hofstra welcomes back five starters from its 19-8 team that finished atop the CAA regular-season standings for the first time with a 16-2 mark. The Pride, which will be in its first season under interim head coach Lauren Netherby, is led by junior setter Shellane Ogoshi, who was the CAA Player and Setter of the Year in 2005. Also back are junior right side hitter Talita Silva, a Second-Team All-CAA pick, and senior middle blocker Elizabeth Curley, who earned all-conference honors in 2004.

Towson graduated just two players off last year's 28-7 team that reached the CAA Tournament championship game for the second year in a row. The Tigers will be under the guidance of new head coach Paul Koncir, but he will have a veteran squad to work with led by a pair of Second-Team All-CAA honorees in senior middle blocker Christina Grempler and junior setter Kimberly Snider, as well as CAA All-Rookie team member Alison Essink.

2006 CAA VOLLEYBALL PRE-SEASON COACHES POLL

1. VCU (7 first-place votes) 79
2. Hofstra (2 first-place votes) 70
3. Towson (1 first-place vote) 65
4. James Madison 50
5. Delaware 44
6. Georgia State 38
7. Northeastern 37
8. William & Mary 34
9. George Mason 23
10. UNC-Wilmington 10