Volleyball Selected Fifth in HCAC Preseason Poll
GREENWOOD, Ind. – The 2008 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll was recently announced by the league office. Defiance College was tabbed fifth in the nine-team league and placed five student-athletes on the HCAC Watch List.
GREENWOOD, Ind. – The 2008 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll was recently announced by the league office. Defiance College was tabbed fifth in the nine-team league and placed five student-athletes on the HCAC Watch List.
The Yellow Jackets gained 39 votes in the poll and trailed only Mount St. Joseph, Anderson, Manchester and Hanover in the standings. DC was followed by Transylvania, Bluffton, Franklin and Rose-Hulman.
Defiance placed five players on the HCAC Watch List for the upcoming 2008 campaign. Rising juniors Danyel Lipps (OH/West Alexandria, OH) and Ashton Judis (DS/Livonia, MI) will anchor the young squad, while rising sophomores Sara Porter (OH/Toledo, OH) and Kelsey Ferguson (S/Brighton, MI) will look to build on their solid rookie seasons. Kristen Nicely (RS/Defiance, OH) will headline a talented incoming freshmen class for Defiance and could earn an immediate starting role.
The Jackets ended the 2007 season with an 8-22 overall record and finished sixth in the HCAC with a 3-5 mark. DC opened the conference season with three-straight wins but fell out of contention late.
Defiance will look to build on that early success from last season and carry it through the entire 2008 campaign. The Jackets will have the tools to do it, as they are set to return all six starters and all but two letterwinners from one year ago.
DC will get its 2008 season underway on August 29th when it competes in the Hornet Invitational at Kalamazoo, Mich. Defiance will take on Franklin at 4:00 pm before playing Kalamazoo at 6:00 pm.