Aug. 17, 2010
RICHMOND, Va. - With the 2010 women's volleyball season less than two weeks away, the Colonial Athletic Association released its annual preseason poll with defending champion George Mason predicted to finish second. Delaware was named the overall favorite to win this year's title.
The Blue Hens received five first-place votes and 75 total points to earn the top spot, but three other teams also received at least one first-place vote in the preseason poll. Mason took the second spot with three first-place votes and 71 total points, while VCU came in a close third with one first-place vote and 68 overall points.
William & Mary tallied one first-place vote and 60 total points, and Northeastern notched the fifth spot with 49 points overall. James Madison was sixth in the poll, followed by Towson, Hofstra, UNC Wilmington and Georgia State.
In the hunt for a repeat, Mason returns four starters to its squad that went 23-9 on the way to claiming its first conference title since 2003. The Patriots are led by 2009 CAA Player of the Year and First Team All-CAA honoree Holly Goode, who finished the season ranked third in the CAA in points per set (3.70) and kills per set (3.17) and was seventh in hitting percentage (.282). Junior middle blocker and fellow first team all-conference selection Kelsey Bohman tallied a team-best .293 hitting percentage, and her league-leading 1.38 blocks per set ranked 16th in the nation. The duo will be joined by senior setter Fernanda Bartels, who earned Second Team All-CAA accolades after finishing the season ranked second in the conference in assists (1184) and with a team-leading 311 digs.
The vote was conducted by all 10 head coaches in the conference, with coaches unable to predict their own team's finish.
2010 CAA VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
(Coaches could not vote for their own team)
1. Delaware (5 first-place votes), 75
2. George Mason (3 first-place votes), 71
3. VCU (1 first-place vote), 68
4. William and Mary (1 first-place vote), 60
5. Northeastern, 49
6. James Madison, 29
7. Towson, 28
8. Hofstra, 25
9. UNC Wilmington, 23
10. Georgia State, 22
