ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College has been picked second in the annual Commonwealth Conference volleyball preseason coaches poll, as selected by the league's eight head coaches and released Wednesday.
The Blue Jays, who made their fourth consecutive appearance in the Commonwealth Conference championship match in 2009, return six of the squad's nine regulars from last year's team which finished 20-10 overall and 6-1 in the Commonwealth Conference. Elizabethtown lost 3-2 to Lebanon Valley College in the conference title match.
Back for the Blue Jays are senior setter
Crystal Agnew, who was a second-team All-Conference selection last season after averaging 9.23 assists per set, along with sophomore middle hitter
Lindsay Palm who earned Rookie of the Year honors by averaging 1.91 kills per set and a .294 hitting percentage.
Also pacing the Blue Jay attack are senior outside hitter
Molly Northway (153 kills in 2009) and sophomore right side
Holly Bubb (133 kills, 74 blocks), while the defense is led by senior
Amanda Ritchey (240 digs) and junior
Andrea Weaver, who led the team with 438 digs.
Lebanon Valley garnered five of the eight first-place votes to lead the poll with 47 points, followed by Elizabethtown with two first-place votes and 44 points and a tie for third between Messiah College (one first-place vote) and Widener University at 34 points. Rounding out the rankings are Lycoming College (23 points), Albright College (22 points), Arcadia University (11 points) and Alvernia University (nine points).
Elizabethtown opens its 2010 season Saturday, Sept. 4 at McDaniel College in a tri-match with York College, and makes its home debut on Wednesday, Sept. 8 at 7:00 p.m. against Haverford College. Conference play begins Wednesday, Sept. 15 at Widener.