The University of Colorado at Colorado Springs volleyball team was picked to finish fifth in the East Division and eighth overall in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's preseason coaches' poll, the conference announced Monday.
The Mountain Lions amassed 97 points in the poll, placing them behind Nebraska-Kearney (14), Metro State (32), Regis (52) and Colorado Mines (59) in the East. Also ahead of UCCS were the West's Western New Mexico (61), Fort Lewis (69) and mesa State (71).
Each of the conference's coaches ranked teams from 1-13 (omitting their own team).Â
As those numbers suggest, Nebraska at Kearney is predicted to win the RMAC East Division and regular season titles according to the poll. The Lopers, who are the five-time defending RMAC regular season champions, are led by preseason player of the year Jeri Walkowiak (Grand Island, Neb.) and preseason setter of the year Cola Svec (Elkhorn, Neb.).
Also named to the preseason All-RMAC team were Fort Lewis junior Chelsea Flaming, Regis junior Jessica Howe, Adams State senior Darcy Jennings, Metro State sophomore Bri Morley and Colorado Mines junior Elizabeth Serra-Hsu. Metro State's Amy Watanabe, a senior, was named the RMAC preseason defensive player of the year.
