CCC Pre-season Coaches' Poll: Women's Volleyball No. 4
NEWPORT, R.I. - Salve Regina University women's volleyball returned to campus last Friday for its fall pre-season; today the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) released the results of the its coaches pre-season poll for the sport.
Last season Endicott ended Roger Williams's seven-year run as Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) women's volleyball tournament champions and this year they were picked to defend that title. The Gulls earned 96 points in the 2017 CCC Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll.
The defending champions earned six of a possible 10 first place votes in the voting which was conducted last week by the 10 CCC women's volleyball head coaches.
In 2016, the Gulls put together a perfect 9-0 CCC (22-12 overall) record and earned the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament. They cruised through the tournament without dropping a single set, but fell to Springfield in the first round of the NCAA Women's Volleyball Championship. The league title was Endicott's first conference crown since 2008.
Roger Williams checked in at No. 2 in this year's poll earning 91 points and the remaining four first place votes. The Hawks completed the year with an 8-1 CCC (19-8 overall) mark and claimed the No. 2 seed in the tournament. However, they were bounced early after dropping their quarterfinal match with the University of New England.
Western New England, the 2016 CCC tournament runner-up, slotted into the third spot in this year's rankings. The Golden Bears, which collected 76 points in the poll, finished last season's campaign at 7-2 (21-10 overall) in conference play.
Salve Regina and Wentworth claimed the No. 4 and No. 5 spots with 68 points and 58 points, respectively.
2017 CCC Women's Volleyball Pre-season Coaches' Poll
- Endicott College 95 (6)
- Roger Williams University 91 (4)
- Western New England University 76
- Salve Regina University 68
- Wentworth Institute of Technology 58
- Gordon College 57
- University of New England 45
- Curry College 27
- Eastern Nazarene College 20
- Nichols College 13
Head coach Lauren Parsons enters her sixth season at the helm of the Seahawks program. The team has made the playoffs in all five of her previous seasons including two conference championship matches. After making it to the semifinals last season, the team returns all but one player from that squad. The Seahawks return four All-CCC players who will be keys for this season. Middle blocker Annie Donahue (Chelmsford, Mass.) was named to the first team while Cassidy Trablicy (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Megan Parham took home second team honors. Samantha Higgins (Coventry, R.I.) rounded out the Seahawks award winners with a third team selection. Parham will spend the entire year studying abroad.
After having played so many underclassmen last season, this year's team will benefit from that experience and look to make a deep run in the playoffs with the addition of some talented newcomers. Samantha Salwa (Ellington, Conn.) returns for her fourth season and second as captain.
Follow more from the Commonwealth Coast Conference at http://cccathletics.com/sports/wvball/2017-18/releases/2017WVBALLPoll
Salve Regina University
Salve Regina athletics sponsors 20 NCAA Division III varsity sports for men and women. The Seahawks compete in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC - baseball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, field hockey, football, men's ice hockey, men's and women's lacrosse, men's and women's soccer, softball, men's and women's tennis, women's track and field, women's volleyball), New England Hockey Conference (NEHC - women's ice hockey), New England Intercollegiate Sailing Association (NEISA - sailing). Beginning in 2017-18, Salve Regina will also sponsor equestrian as a varsity sport, and adds junior varsity programs for baseball and men's lacrosse.