CofC Sits Atop Preseason CAA VB Poll
Tim McDonnell
RICHMOND, Va. (August 19, 2014) – Second-year league member and 2013 CAA volleyball champion College of College of Charleston was picked to win the title again in 2014, according to a vote by the league’s head coaches.
The Cougars nearly went unbeaten in CAA play one year ago, registering a 13-1 league mark en route to hosting and winning the 2013 conference tournament title. Charleston concluded its season with a solid, 25-6 overall record after a NCAA first round defeat at Duke. Remarkably, CofC has now won either the regular season or conference tournament championship each of the last 13 years – dating back to the school’s time in the Southern Conference.
CofC received six of the possible 9 first-place votes and 62 total points, while James Madison, which received two first-place votes, came in second with 52 total points. Northeastern – last year’s CAA championship runner-up – grabbed 48 points and one first-place vote to finish third. Hofstra, UNCW, and Delaware all rounded out the next three spots with 37, 36, and 35 points, respectively. Towson, the league’s 2012 champion, received 23 points for seventh in the poll, followed by William & Mary (20 points) and first-year league newcomer Elon (16).
College of Charleston has now appeared in the NCAA Tournament eight times in the last 12 years and brings back three players who earned All-CAA honors one season ago. Senior Sloane White was a first-team All-CAA honoree last fall, finishing third in the league in hitting percentage (.309). Redshirt senior Cara Howley made the All-CAA second team last year, while classmate Kallie McKown was named the league’s Setter of the Year after recording 609 assists (5.69 per set). Junior Melissa Morello picked up second-team league honors in 2013 and also was named to the All-Tournament team as well.
James Madison brings back a wealth of experience in 2014, starting with senior Lizzy Briones and sophomore Janey Goodman. Briones was named to the 2013 All-CAA first team and also earned honorable mention AVCA East Region honors as a junior. She was the only CAA player to top both 300-plus kills and 100-plus blocks all year, recording 308 kills to go along with 154 total blocks. Goodman earned second team All-Conference recognition and All-Rookie distinction one year ago. The Virginia native led CAA freshmen with 327 kills and even added 80 blocks.
Northeastern senior Natalia Skiba is one of the league’s top defenders, having already won CAA Defensive Specialist of the Year two times in her career (2011 and 2013). Last season, Skiba paced the CAA with 683 digs for an impressive, 5.60 per-set average. Also back in 2014 for the Huskies is versatile sophomore Jamie Bredahl, who won CAA Rookie of the Year honors last season. As a freshman, she registered 277 kills (2.27 per set), 623 assists (5.11 per set) and contributed 233 digs, plus 50 blocks overall.
Hofstra will once again be led by consensuses All-CAA first team member Kelsie Wills. The New Zealand native played in all of the Pride’s 116 sets in 2013, leading the league in kills (501) and kills per set (4.32). Wills, who recorded double-digit kills in 30 matches, also finished the year with 283 digs, 66 blocks and 29 service aces en route to topping the conference in points per set with a 4.87 average. The Pride last won a CAA title in 2012 and will be led this season by first-year head coach Emily Mansur.
Elon enters the CAA for the first time in 2014 after the program competed in the Southern Conference for the last 11 years. 2014 marks the program’s 42
nd year of competition, while head coach Mary Tendler embarks on her 12
th season guiding the Phoenix.
2014 CAA VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
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College of Charleston 62 points (6 first-place votes)
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James Madison 52 (2)
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Northeastern 48 (1)
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Hofstra 37
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UNCW 36
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Delaware 35
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Towson 23
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William & Mary 20
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Elon 16
(Teams received 8 points for a first-place vote, 7 for second, etc. Head coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team.)