FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S-006-07-08
Thursday, August 22, 2007

Elizabethtown College Volleyball Team Picked First in Commonwealth Conference Preseason Coaches Poll

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- The Elizabethtown College volleyball team has been picked to finish first in the Commonwealth Conference by the league’s six head coaches, the conference office announced Thursday.

The Blue Jays claimed four of the six first-place votes in the poll for a total of 30 points, finishing ahead of Lebanon Valley College, which gained the other two first-place votes and accumulated 28 points.

Messiah College took third with 22 points, followed by Lycoming College (19 points), Widener University (15 points) and Albright College (12 points).

Last season, Elizabethtown advanced to the Commonwealth Conference championship for the first time since 1995 and finished with a 26-7 overall record. The Blue Jays lost in the conference title match to eventual NCAA Division III champion Juniata College, which departed the Commonwealth Conference for the newly-formed Landmark Conference after winning 26 consecutive conference championships.

Head coach Randall Kreider begins his sixth season on the Elizabethtown bench with 100 career victories, and is the reigning conference Coach of the Year after guiding the Blue Jays to the postseason in each of the last three seasons.

The Blue Jays open their 2007 season on Saturday, Sept. 1 in a four-team tournament at McDaniel College.