Photo Courtesy of Mark Campbell

RICHMOND, Va. – The University of Delaware volleyball team has been selected as the preseason Colonial Athletic Association favorites in the coaches poll announced today by the league office.

Delaware earned four first-place votes and took the top spot with 70 total points. The Blue Hens edged out Virginia Commonwealth and William & Mary for the preseason honor as the Rams and Tribe finished in a tie for second-place with 69 points. Both squads earned three first-place votes.

Northeastern, who won the 2008 regular season crown and finished as the runner-up in the tournament, earned the fourth spot with 62 points. Hofstra was selected fifth in the poll, and James Madison placed sixth. George Mason and Towson were tied for seventh, while Georgia State and UNC Wilmington rounded out the field.

The Blue Hens, who have won the last two conference titles, will look to become the first CAA team to win three straight since George Mason captured five in-a-row from 1992-95. Delaware returns five starters from last year’s team that finished 19-16, including 9-5 in league play. Steph Barry, Katie Dennehy (at right), and Kim Stewart headline the list of returners after each earned All-Conference nods for their efforts in 2008.

Barry, the two-time defending CAA Defensive Specialist of the Year, became the first player in league history to garner All-American honors twice after ranking among the national leaders in digs for the second straight year. She finished her junior campaign with a conference-best 682 digs and a 5.33 digs-per-set average.

Dennehy had an outstanding sophomore season that eventually earned her second-team All-CAA honors. During the year, she led Delaware and ranked second in the conference with 404 kills. She also pieced together 23 double-digit kill performances, marking the highest total on the team.

Stewart put together one of the finest freshman seasons in Delaware history when she was named the CAA Rookie of the Year, earned a spot on the All-CAA third team, and collected five Rookie of the Week awards. A dynamic outside hitter, she finished her first campaign ranked second on the team with 350 digs and 284 kills.

Along with the award-winning members of the squad, the Blue Hens return five other players who have made outstanding contributions to the program over the past few years. Michelle LaLonde returns for her senior season after suffering through an injury-plagued junior campaign. A leader on the team, she will once again serve as a co-captain.

Kelly Gibson also will continue her career after seeing her 2008 season come to a premature end following a knee injury in the first match of the year. Despite the setback, she remains one of the finest outside hitters in the league and will look to return to a level that saw her earn first-team All-Conference honors as a sophomore.

Juniors Jess Chason, Paige Erickson, and Greta Gibboney round out the veteran portion of the roster. Chason, who will return as the starting setter, capped off her sophomore season with an incredible performance in the CAA Championship match that saw her earn Most Outstanding Performer honors.

Erickson has served as a constant presence along the net over the past two seasons. A starter in each of her 71 career matches, she enters her junior campaign with 483 kills and 233 blocks.

Gibboney also has been a consistent spark for the Blue Hens during her two years in Newark. One of the top defenders on the team and a serving specialist, she finished last season ranked third in the league with 37 aces and fourth on the team with 264 digs.

Along with the experienced members of the team, Delaware also added four newcomers to the roster. Renee Tomko, a sophomore transfer from Louisville, will add depth as a setter, while Alissa Alker, Chelsea Lawrence, and Logan Sebastian make up the freshman class.

The Blue Hens will begin their quest to capture a third straight conference crown on August 28 during the New Mexico Tournament. Delaware will open the season against the host Lobos on Friday night before battling Portland State and UC Santa Barbara on Saturday.

AGATE:

2009 Preseason CAA Coaches Poll

1. Delaware (4 first-place votes), 70 points. 2. VCU (3), 69 and William & Mary (3), 69. 4. Northeastern, 62. 5. Hofstra, 39. 6. James Madison, 37. 7. George Mason, 34, and Towson, 34. 9. Georgia State, 27. 10. UNC Wilmington, 10.