Seahawk Volleyball Selected to Come in Eighth Place in CAC Preseason Poll

Fredericksburg, Va. – The St. Mary’s College of Maryland volleyball team was picked eighth in the 2018 Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) Preseason Coaches Poll, released Tuesday morning.

WATCH: CAC Volleyball Preseason Poll Video · READ: CAC Volleyball Preseason Poll Release

St. Mary’s will look to bounce back after a disappointing three-win season in 2017. Third-year head coach Kelly Martin is excited to blend a strong veteran nucleus with seven talented and eager newcomers. The Seahawks will have a sound defensive base with the return of senior libero Marissa Dangler (Smithsburg, Md./Smithsburg), who led the conference last year with 5.32 digs per set.

In addition, the team’s top two hitters – seniors Meghan Kelley (Ellicott City, Md./Centennial) and Hannah Krauss (Severna Park, Md./Severna Park) – are back to lead the offense. Kelley tallied 256 kills last fall while Krauss added 139 plus a team third-best 43 blocks.

The Seahawks missed out on a berth in the CAC Tournament last season; however, with the reconfiguration of the conference, all eight teams will qualify for postseason play in 2018. The CAC championship match is set for Saturday, November 3.

Christopher Newport University, the defending CAC champion, topped the preseason poll after finishing 28-4 (9-0 CAC) last fall and falling in the second round of the 2017 NCAA Division III Volleyball Championship Tournament. St. Mary’s posted 11 points, just two points behind seventh-place Penn State Harrisburg.

The Seahawks will hit the road to get their 2018 campaign underway, heading south to Virginia Beach, Va., for the two-day Virginia Wesleyan University Invitational this Friday and Saturday.

The full preseason coaches’ poll is listed below with first-place votes in parenthesis.

Facebook: StMarysAthletics

By Nairem Moran · nmoran@smcm.edu