Raiders Picked Fourth in OAC Volleyball Coaches Poll

AUSTINTOWN, Ohio--Mount Union's volleyball team ranks fourth in the Ohio Athletic Conference preseason coaches poll, which was released by the league Tuesday morning.

Defending OAC regular season champion Heidelberg tops the poll with 79 points and seven first place votes.  The other three first place votes went to defending OAC Tournament champion Ohio Northern in second with 74 points, while Otterbein is in third with 59 points, just two ahead of the Purple Raiders.

Mount Union posted a 23-6 record a year ago and advanced to the semifinals of the OAC Tournament for a sixth consecutive season.  The Raiders also made their first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, via an at-large bid, and scored a first round win over Lebanon Valley (Pa.) before falling to eventual national runner-up Juniata (Pa.) in the second round.

"We know we have a lot of work to do and every match will be a battle in this conference," commented fifth year head coach Leigh Ann Matesich.  "We need players to step up to face the challenge of an extremely competitive schedule."

The Raiders return three starters, but must replace a pair of All-Americans in Melissa Mahnke and Sarah Parker, and are scheduled to face six teams ranked AVCA National Preseason Top-25 including defending national champion, Washington-St. Louis.

OAC Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Heidelberg (7) - 79
2. Ohio Northern (3) - 74
3. Otterbein - 59
4. Mount Union - 57
5. Capital - 40
6. Marietta - 39
7. John Carroll - 38
8. Muskingum - 36
9. Baldwin-Wallace - 19
10. Wilmington - 9

* First place votes in parenthesis