With nine letterwinners returning from the 2013 squad that posted a winning conference record and advanced to the semifinals of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Tournament, the Seattle University volleyball team has been picked to finish second in the annual preseason poll of conference coaches, announced Monday by the league office.
Seattle U received two first-place votes and 43 total points, behind only defending conference champion New Mexico State, tabbed as the favorite to win again after earning six first-place votes and 48 total points. Utah Valley finished third with 35 points, followed by UMKC in fourth with 27 points, just ahead of fifth-place Bakersfield with 26 points. Grand Canyon received 22 points to finish sixth in the preseason poll, followed by Texas-Pan American in seventh place with 16 points and Chicago State in eighth place with seven points.
Iris Ivanis, the 2013 WAC Freshman of the Year, and Martina Samadan, a Second Team All-WAC and All-WAC Tournament selection last year, were voted onto the 2014 Preseason All-WAC Team by the coaches. Ivanis led the Redhawks with 307 total kills and 27 service aces in the 2013 season, while Samadan averaged 3.24 kills and 1.00 blocks per set, plus collected 22 service aces and posted a .416 hitting percentage.
Lauren Bakker, a junior middle blocker from Utah Valley, was voted the WAC Preseason Player of the Year, one of three Wolverines named to the Preseason All-WAC Team. New Mexico State also had three representatives on the preseason squad, while Grand Canyon and UMKC joined the Redhawks with two honored players apiece.
Also Monday, the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) released its Division I Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll, and Seattle U will face two teams in the top four of the poll. The Redhawks take on second ranked Texas Aug. 30 at the Lobo Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M., and fourth ranked Washington at Alaska Airlines Arena Sept. 11. Seattle U also faces two other teams receiving votes in the preseason poll: New Mexico in the season opener Friday, Aug. 29 and Oregon in the final match before the start of conference play Tuesday, Sept. 23, in Eugene, Ore.
The Seattle U volleyball team began preseason practice Monday in preparation for the upcoming season. Fans are invited to the Red and White Scrimmage, taking place Friday, Aug. 22, at the Connolly Center starting at 7 p.m., after the season-opening match for the defending WAC champion Redhawk women’s soccer team against Idaho across the street at Championship Field at 5 p.m.