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| Andrea Wirth is one of three sophomores who saw action in all 30 contests as freshmen a season ago. |
Volleyball Picked Ninth In Preseason Poll
North Easton Mass. - After doubling their win total a season ago, Stonehill will look to continue its rise in the Northeast-10 after being selected ninth in a preseason poll of the Conference's 15 head coaches which was released on Thursday.
Perennial power Bentley, which advanced to the NCAA Regional Semifinals, was picked to finish the first, receiving 12 of 15 first place votes and garnering 221 points. League newcomer, New Haven, grabbed two first-place tallies and finished in a distant second.
Merrimack (196), Franklin Pierce (173) and Pace (147), who collected the other first place vote, round out the top five.
The Skyhawks, meanwhile, are eager to return to the court after finishing the 2007 season with four wins in their last six games, concluding head coach Eric Snyder's first year with a 10-20 overall record.
A wealth of talent returns for the purple and white, including 11 underclassmen, including three who saw action in all 30 matches in their freshman season
The second-year trio of Erin Johnson (Centreville, Mass.), Laura Noonan (Hampstead, N.H.) and Andrea Wirth (Mesa, Ariz.) combined with lone senior Katherine Masson (Acushnet, Mass.), who had a team-leading 341 kills last season, gives Stonehill a potent frontline attack.
The Skyhawks begin their season on August 29, when they head to Kutztown Pa. for the KU Classic, a two day tournament where they will match up against Virginia St., Mercy and Kutztown.