DePaul University Athletics
DePaul Volleyball Picked to Finish Ninth in Preseason Poll
8/5/2015 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
BIG EAST Release
NEW YORK ââ'¬" The DePaul volleyball team was voted to finish ninth in the annual BIG EAST Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, announced Wednesday, Aug. 5 by the conference office.
Five of the top attackers return for the Blue Demons, including Saige Gallop who led the team with 339 kills and a 3.14 kills per set average. Head coach Nadia Edwards and DePaul begin the 2015 season at the two-day Western Illinois Tournament on Aug. 28 and 29.
In the Coaches' Poll, Creighton was selected as the top team for the league, receiving nine of the possible 10 first-place votes and 81 points. Marquette received the only other first-place vote in the poll and placed second with 69 points. Xavier (62 points) and St. John's (53 points) round out the top four teams in the poll. All voting was completed by the conference's 10 head coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own team.
After beginning the season in the Western Illinois Tournament, DePaul hosts its own invitational against Toledo on Sept. 4 and Evansville and Eastern Illinois on Sept. 5. The Blue Demons open up the BIG EAST schedule on Sept. 23 when they host Butler at 7 p.m. CT. The top four teams in the BIG EAST regular-season standings move on to compete in the 2015 BIG EAST Volleyball Championship presented by New York Life on Nov. 27 and 28 at the D.J. Sokol Arena in Omaha, Neb. The BIG EAST champion will earn an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
2015 Preseason Volleyball Honors
Preseason Coaches' Poll
First place votes in ( )
^ Creighton ââ'¬" 81 pts. (9 first place votes)
Marquette ââ'¬" 69 pts. (1)
Xavier ââ'¬" 62 pts.
St. John's ââ'¬" 53 pts.
Butler ââ'¬" 52 pts.
Seton Hall ââ'¬" 41 pts.
Villanova ââ'¬" 34 pts.
Georgetown ââ'¬" 28 pts.
DePaul ââ'¬" 20 pts.
Providence ââ'¬" 10 pts.
^ - denotes unanimous selection
Preseason Player of the Year ââ'¬" Jess Bird, Creighton, Jr., OH
Preseason All-BIG EAST
(listed alphabetically by institution, then last name)
Kayla Bivins, Butler, So., S
Makayla Ferguson, Butler, R-Jr. MB
^ Jess Bird, Creighton, Jr., OH
Kate Elman, Creighton, Sr., DS
^ Lauren Smith, Creighton, Jr., MB
^ Meghan Nieman, Marquette, RS-Jr., MH
^ Karin Palgutova, St. John's, Sr., OH
Shawna-Lei Santos, St. John's, Sr., L/DS
Tessa Fornier, Seton Hall, Jr., L
Amanda Hansen, Seton Hall, Sr., MB
Lauren Carpenter, Villanova, Sr., OH
^ Abbey Bessler, Xavier, Jr., OH
