CCU

Volleyball Picked Third in Big South Preseason Poll

       

Volleyball Picked Third in Big South Preseason Poll

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Coastal Carolina University's volleyball squad received two first place votes and is picked to place third overall in the Big South Conference's preseason poll released earlier today. The preseason poll is compiled by votes of the League's head volleyball coaches and sports information directors.

The Lady Chanticleers, who placed sixth a season ago, will welcome the return of Verizon Academic All-America and All-Conference performer Jeanne Lambert. The Burnsville, Minnesota, native returns after shoulder surgery sidelined a career which ranks as one of the best ever in CCU history. Lambert is already the career-leader in digs at Coastal and rates third in kills.

Also returning will be senior outside hitter Katie Knutson, who set a single season record at CCU in digs in 2001 and posted the second-best season ever in kills. Sophomore setter Sarah Besemer, a member of the 2001 Big South All-Rookie Team, returns after posting the second highest assists total for a Lady Chanticleer freshman.

Coastal will be chasing Liberty University and Winthrop University, which were voted number one and two respectively. Liberty, the defending Conference champion, was chosen as the preseason favorite with seven first place votes. Winthrop received six first place votes, while fourth pick Radford garnered the other first place nod.

Charleston Southern University, High Point University and Elon University hold down the fourth, fifth and sixth spots, while UNC Asheville rounded out the poll in eighth place. Birmingham-Southern College, which is making the move from NAIA to NCAA Division I, will play a full League schedule but the Panthers’ games will not count in the regular season standings and they are not eligible for the 2002 Big South Volleyball Championship.

Listed below are the points each team received in the voting. The number in parenthesis indicates the number of first-place votes received.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Totals Liberty (7) 56 35 24 0 0 0 0 0 115 Winthrop (6) 48 35 12 5 8 0 0 0 108 Coastal (2) 16 21 30 20 0 6 0 0 93 Radford (1) 8 14 18 30 8 3 2 0 83 Charleston Southern 0 7 6 25 8 12 4 1 63 High Point 0 0 6 0 16 3 12 4 41 Elon 0 0 0 0 16 15 2 6 39 UNC Asheville 0 0 0 0 8 9 12 5 34