Shepherd, Gannon take top spots in 2021 Volleyball Preseason Poll
LOCK HAVEN, Pa. --- Shepherd University and Gannon University were selected to win their respective divisions in the 2021 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Volleyball Preseason Polls, as voted on by the league’s head coaches, the conference office announced Thursday.
The PSAC has restructured its divisions in volleyball for 2021. Volleyball will go to an Eastern and a Western Division. Making up the PSAC East will be Bloomsburg, East Stroudsburg, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Millersville, Shepherd, Shippensburg and West Chester. Over in the PSAC West, there will be California (Pa.), Clarion, Edinboro, Indiana (Pa.), Mercyhurst, Pitt-Johnstown, Seton Hill and Slippery Rock.
EAST
For the poll, Shepherd took the top spot in the PSAC East collecting four first-place votes. In its first official year with the PSAC, the Rams just missed capturing 30 overall victories going 29-7, while going 14-5 in PSAC play. The Rams fell to East Stroudsburg in the 2019 PSAC Championship match in five sets. They later had their season come to an end against Gannon in the NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament. Shepherd brings back a handful of key players from 2019 including seniors Brooke Dunn, Alex Farnsworth and Georgia Ohmke.
Snagging a pair of first-place votes and coming in second in the Eastern Division was Millersville. The Marauders were 26-9 overall and 15-4 in PSAC games. Millersville fell to Shepherd in the PSAC Tournament, but bounced back to defeat Shippensburg in the first round of the NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament. They later concluded their season with a loss at Wheeling. The 2021 squad will be made up of a several younger student-athletes including redshirt juniors Emily Hoffman, Maddee Luring, and a quartet of redshirt sophomores in Kylie Airesman, Becca Dalstad, Laurel Samko, and Rose Vail. Ville has eight true freshmen and seven redshirt freshmen on its roster.
Selected third also with a pair of first-place votes is Shippensburg. The Raiders were 26-7 overall in 2019 and 17-2 in league games. They fell to ESU in the PSAC Semis and later lost in the first round to Millersville of the NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament. The Raiders are another very young team in the east with 13 freshmen on their roster. Lydia Bauer and Joelle Shultz are their only upperclassmen as redshirt juniors.
Reigning PSAC Champion, East Stroudsburg, was picked fourth in the PSAC East. ESU finished the year 29-7 in 2019 with a 16-3 conference mark. The Warriors later defeated Shepherd in the PSAC Championship, but fell to the Rams in the first round of the Atlantic Region Tournament. Jasmine Mooney returns as the player who saw the most playing time in 2019 in 28 matches played. She registered 2.20 kills per set and totaled 191.0 points.
Rounding out the eight teams in the East is West Chester, Bloomsburg, Kutztown and Lock Haven.
WEST
In the West, Gannon took the top spot with a unanimous vote of eight first-place votes. The Golden Knights are the only team in the PSAC to be receiving votes in the 2021 AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll and they were one of a few teams in the West to play in any matches during the 2020-21 season in the spring. They were 18-4 in the 2020 Spring season and 30-7 in 2019 with a 17-1 conference mark making it all the way to the NCAA DII Elite Eight. They’ll have a Maggie Greenfield to likely pace the attack. She averaged 2.25 kills per set in 2020-21. She’ll be joined by third-team all-conference setter in 2019, Ashley McClung.
Receiving the other first-place vote for 2021 was Clarion and it was also picked second in the West. The Golden Eagles were 9-7 in the abbreviated 2020-21 season and will return Julia Piccolino, Amy Regrut, and Brooke Williams. All three were Clarion’s top scorers in the abbreviated season and will aim to make an impact in 2021. Another key returner is Alexa Cundy back for her senior season. She had 401 assists in the abbreviated season.
Behind Clarion in the voting is Seton Hill. Seton Hill did not play in the 2020-21 season, but was 19-11 overall and 14-5 in 2019. The Griffins fell to ESU in the first round of the PSAC Tournament, however, did make it to the NCAA Atlantic Regional dropping its first match to Gannon. One player that did see time in 2019 that returns to the roster is Bobbi Rempe. Rempe played in 30 matches and tallied 1.76 kills per set totaling 129 kills.
Another team that played in 2020-21 and picked fourth in the West is Mercyhurst. The Lakers were 2-8 in the shortened season, but were 16-13 overall in 2019 and 8-10 missing the playoffs. They do have an experienced squad this year with a trio of redshirt seniors in Chase Cole, Claire Kenny and Hannah Vuylsteke. That trio is joined by seven seniors on the roster as well.
Coming in fifth in the nine-team Western Division is IUP. The Crimson Hawks are looking to bounce back after back-to-back losing seasons in 2018 and 2019. IUP typically has had success in recent years, making the PSAC Tournament in 2016-17 and making the NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament in 2017 following a Divisional Championship.
Concluding the West is Edinboro, Cal U, Slippery Rock and Pitt-Johnstown.
For the full 2021 Preseason Volleyball Polls, see below:
2021 VB Preseason Polls
EAST
- Shepherd (4)
- Millersville (2)
- Shippensburg (2)
- East Stroudsburg
- West Chester
- Bloomsburg
- Kutztown
- Lock Haven
WEST
- Gannon (8)
- Clarion (1)
- Seton Hill
- Mercyhurst
- IUP
- Edinboro
- Cal U
- Slippery Rock
- Pitt-Johnstown
ABOUT THE PSAC
Headquartered in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania, the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference is an NCAA Division II Conference comprised of 18 institutions in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. The member institutions are Bloomsburg University, California University of Pennsylvania, Clarion University, East Stroudsburg University, Edinboro University, Gannon University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Kutztown University, Lock Haven University, Mansfield University, Mercyhurst University, Millersville University, The University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown, Seton Hill University, Shepherd University, Shippensburg University, Slippery Rock University and West Chester University.