Allegheny Volleyball Picked Seventh in NCAC polls

Meadville, Pa. – The Allegheny women’s volleyball team has been selected to finish seventh in the North Coast Athletic Conference in voting conducted among the league’s nine head coaches.

Wittenberg University emerged as the preseason favorite in balloting after winning the NCAC title with a 14-0 record en route to its 13th conference tournament title last fall. The Tigers earned all nine first-place votes from league coaches to total 81 points and topped second-place Hiram by a nine-point margin. Wooster (55), last year's third-place squad, was predicted to finish third again this season. Denison (46) was voted fourth, followed by Ohio Wesleyan (41) in fifth. Earlham (33) was tabbed sixth, while Oberlin (31) and Kenyon (14) rounded out the poll in places eight and nine.

The 2008 Allegheny squad looks to return to the NCAC postseason tournament for the time since 2003 and will be guided by 23rd-year head coach Bridget Sheehan, along with captains Cat Van Wagner and Cally Malone and a strong junior class, led by setter Amanda Bancroft (9th all-time – 1,942 assists).

Van Wagner has appeared in 211 career games for the Gators, notching 330 kills (2.11 kills/game) and 136 blocks (0.64 blocks/ game), including last season when she finished second on the team in blocks (58) and ranked fourth in kills (222). She also posted a career-high 16 kills against Ohio Wesleyan and had seven games in which she recorded 10 or more kills.
Malone has 189 games as a Gator under her belt, amassing 333 kills (1.76/game) and 99 blocks (0.52 blocks/game). Last season, she finished third on the team in both assists (37) and blocks while ranking fifth in kills. Additionally, Malone posted 12 or more kills against four straight opponents and set a career-best 15 kills against Earlham, then later matched that total against Case Western Reserve.
The Gators open the 2008 season on Sept. 5-6, and will face Alma, Case Western Reserve, Tri-State and Westminster at the Baldwin-Wallace Tournament.
Allegheny returns home for the first time on Sept. 17 as the squad takes on conference opponent Oberlin at 7 p.m. in the only home match of that month. The David V. Wise center will then host seven home contests in October, highlighted by the Allegheny Tri-Match on Oct. 18 with Kenyon and St. Vincent.

In 2007, the Gators finished with a 12-16 overall record, 3-11 NCAC.

-NCAC-
1. Wittenberg (9)..................................................81
2. Hiram ...............................................................72
3. Wooster............................................................55
4. Denison............................................................46
5. Ohio Wesleyan.................................................41
6. Earlham............................................................33
7. Allegheny.........................................................32
8. Oberlin.............................................................31
9. Kenyon.............................................................14

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