SAN BRUNO, Calif. --- After finishing in second place last season, the San Diego Toreros have been selected to regain the top spot in the 2010 West Coast Conference Coaches Preseason Volleyball Poll and earn their fourth WCC title in six years. The Portland Pilots were selected to finish seventh, while sophomore middle blocker Ariel Usher was named to the preseason all-conference team.
The Toreros received six first place votes and a total of 48 points from the conference coaches, as they return 2009 WCC Player of the Year and All-American Ali Troost, who was named to the preseason all-conference team along with 2008 WCC Player of the Year and All-American Amy DeGroot and 2009 all-conference honorable mention selection Kelsi Myers.
Reigning WCC Champion Saint Mary’s took the second place spot with one first place vote and a total of 43 points. Rob Browning, the 2009 WCC Coach of the Year, returns four starters from a team that fell at fourth-seeded Stanford in five sets in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Gaels return 2009 All-WCC First Team member Shannon Lowell, 2009 All-Freshman Team member Lauren Corp, and all-conference honorable mention pick Kapua Kamana’o.
Pepperdine, which received the remaining first place vote, tallied 36 points to earn the third place spot. The Waves return five starters, three of which appeared on last year’s all-conference team, including preseason all-conference selection Kim Hill, who garnered First Team honors last season after leading the WCC in hitting percentage.
Rounding out the top half of the poll for the second year in a row was Santa Clara with 33 points. Bronco middle blocker Dana Knudsen was selected to this year’s preseason all-conference team after earning all-WCC honorable mention honors last season.
San Francisco landed in the fifth spot with 23 points. The Dons return four starters, highlighted by preseason all-conference member Sarah Mandala, a 2009 All-WCC First Team member who led the conference in kills per set last season, while adding 10 newcomers to this year’s roster. Gonzaga tallied 18 points for a sixth place finish and return five of its seven starters from last season in Kaprina Goodwin, Caitlin Cozad, Denise Van de Mortel, Laura Day and Allyson Powell.
Portland edged Loyola Marymount for the seventh place spot. Usher, who landed on the WCC All-Freshman team last season, led the team in points in 2009 and finished in the top 10 in the conference in hitting percentage.
Loyola Marymount rounded out the preseason poll, and is led this season by first year head coach Tom Black.
The Pilots begin the 2010 season on Friday, Aug. 27 against Oregon State at the Corvallis Invitational.
2010 WCC Preseason Volleyball Poll
1. San Diego, 48 (6)
2. Saint Mary’s, 43 (1)
3. Pepperdine, 36 (1)
4. Santa Clara, 33
5. San Francisco, 23
6. Gonzaga, 18
7. Portland, 12
8. Loyola Marymount 11
(First place votes)
Preseason All-Conference Team
Name, School, YR, POS
Lauren Corp, SMC, SO, OH
Amy DeGroot, USD, RSR, OH
Kim Hill, PEP, JR, MB
Kapua Kamana’o, SMC, SR, S
Dana Knudsen, SCU, SO, MB
Shannon Lowell, SMC, SR, MB
Sarah Mandala, USF, SR, OH
Kelsi Myers, USD, SR, S
Ali Troost, USD, SR, RS
Ariel Usher, POR, SO, MB
