NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (atlantic10.com) — VCU has been selected as the preseason favorite in the 2018 Atlantic 10 Conference volleyball poll, which was announced Wednesday. The start of the regular season begins Friday.
The Rams posted a perfect conference regular season record in 2017 at 14-0 and won the 2017 Atlantic 10 Championship, defeating Dayton in five sets in the title match. Led by returning All-Conference First Team performer, Tori Baldwin, along with A-10 Coach of the Year Jody Rogers, VCU earned all 10 first-place votes in the poll and tallied 100 points. The Rams, who were 30-3 overall last year and owned the nation's longest winning streak at 27 consecutive matches before falling in the NCAA Tournament.
Dayton finished second in the preseason poll with 90 points. The Flyers, who fell to VCU in a thrilling title game last year, finished last season with a record of 23-8 overall and 13-1 in league play. Dayton is looking for its fourth A-10 title in the last five years.
Saint Louis finished third in the voting with 80 points. The Billikens were 10-4 in league play and 13-15 overall in 2017.
Duquesne was voted fourth in the poll with 63 points, followed by George Washington in fifth with 61 points. Rhode Island recorded 44 points for sixth place and Fordham is ranked seventh in the poll with 36 points. Davidson (35), La Salle (23) and George Mason (18) rounded out the poll, which was voted on by the league's 10 head volleyball coaches.
The 2018 campaign begins Friday with Atlantic 10 teams competing in season-opening tournaments. The 2018 Atlantic 10 Volleyball Championship will be played at VCU's Stuart C. Siegel Center on Nov. 16-18.
2018 Atlantic 10 Volleyball Preseason Poll
(number in parenthesis indicates first-place votes)
VCU (10) - 100
Dayton - 90
Saint Louis - 80
Duquesne - 63
George Washington - 61
Rhode Island - 44
Fordham - 36
Davidson - 35
La Salle - 23
George Mason - 18
About the Atlantic 10 Conference
The Atlantic 10 Conference was founded in 1975 and consists of 14 diverse members across eight states and Washington, D.C. The mission of the Atlantic 10 is to provide an enhanced student-athlete experience through 21 nationally competitive championship sports. The basketball-centric conference is committed to integrity, educational excellence and providing quality equitable championship experiences for its student-athletes, coaches, and support staff. The membership consists of Davidson College, the University of Dayton, Duquesne University, Fordham University, George Mason University, The George Washington University, La Salle University, the University of Massachusetts, the University of Rhode Island, University of Richmond, St. Bonaventure University, Saint Joseph's University, Saint Louis University and Virginia Commonwealth University. For more information, visit www.atlantic10.com.
