The CC volleyball team received the highest national ranking in the 31-year history of the program today, earning the No. 5 spot in the American Volleyball Coaches Association's Division III Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll.
The Tigers finished the 2009 campaign ranked No. 7 after posting a 35-5 record and advancing to the national quarterfinals for the first time. The highest CC had been ranked in a preseason poll was No. 12 in 1998.
“It's a great honor to get that respect,” head coach Rick Swan said. “It's something we've worked hard to earn and we want to keep it. We plan to prove we deserve that respect, but we're more concerned about where we are ranked at the end of the season.”
The Tigers welcome back their entire starting rotation and a total of 13 letter winners, including first-team All-American Emily Perkins and honorable-mention All-Americans Meredith Ballard and Amy Schornack.
“We have an experienced team coming back and added some new players who can contribute,” Swan said. “We had a great run at the end of last season and that gave us a ton of experience. We've set some high goals for this season and we're going to work hard to achieve them.”
Defending national champion Washington University, which knocked the Tigers out of the NCAA Tournament in four sets, received all 24 first-place votes and earned the No. 1 position with 600 points. The Bears were followed by Juniata College (574), Emory University (532), Hope College (527) and CC (485).
“Being ranked No. 5 shows a respect for our program that we've worked hard to build over a long period of time,” Swan said. “We understand that preseason rankings are based on what you accomplished in the past. Our goal is to be ranked near the top going into the NCAA Tournament.”
Colorado College has three matches scheduled against teams ranked in the top 25 (No. 12 Trinity University, No. 16 Southwestern University and No. 18 Eastern University), as well as five against teams receiving votes (Austin College, DePauw University and the University of La Verne).
The Tigers also play four matches against Division II opponents from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, including a trip to No. 10 Metropolitan State College of Denver and a Nov. 2 showdown with cross-town rival CU-Colorado Springs.
The 2010 season begins on Sept. 1 with a home match against Johnson & Wales University, and continues two days later when Carleton College, Illinois Wesleyan University, Otterbein University and La Verne visit Reid Gymnasium for the Molten Volleyball Pikes Peak Challenge.
“We're in a position where we're going to have a target on our back,” Swan said. “Teams are going to be gunning for us, but we look forward to that challenge. It's going to be a fun and exciting season.”
