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BIG EAST Volleyball Coaches Forecast 2012 Season
Aug. 17, 2012
PROVIDENCE, R.I. - DePaul volleyball, which will open the 2012 season one week from today, was selected to finish 13th overall in the annual BIG EAST Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll on Friday, August 17. DePaul will be looking to continue its trend of improvement, and increase its win total in a third straight season under third-year head coach Nadia Edwards. The Blue Demons were picked to finish last in 2011 and ended the season tied for 13th overall. The University of Louisville was picked as the favorite for the second consecutive season and fourth time in five years (2008, `09, `11, `12). The Cardinals were selected to win the league's regular-season title with 168 points and 12 first-place votes. Marquette was picked second, edging last year's BIG EAST Championship runner-up Notre Dame, which was selected third. The votes were cast by the league's 14 head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own teams. Since the inception of round-robin play in 1990, 20 of the last 22 preseason favorites have advanced to the finals of the BIG EAST Championship. Of those favorites, 15 have captured the tournament championship and advanced to the NCAA Championship, while 15 have taken the regular-season title. Teams have won both the regular-season title and BIG EAST Championship 14 times, most recently St. John's in 2007. The volleyball season will start on Aug. 24 with every team playing a nonconference opponent prior to league play. BIG EAST play begins with a 14-match opening weekend on Sept. 21-23. The BIG EAST's 14 volleyball teams play every league school once and two schools twice for a 15-game schedule. The top eight finishers in the BIG EAST standings, based on winning percentage, advance to the BIG EAST Volleyball Championship. First-round action of the BIG EAST Volleyball Championship will begin on Nov. 16. The event spans three days and is single elimination. The championship game will take place on Nov. 18 and the tournament champion will receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA's 32nd Annual Division I Women's Volleyball Championship.
The Blue Demons will be home August 24-25 to kick off the regular season with the annual DePaul Invitational. The four-team tournament will feature six matches over a two-day span, including DePaul's season opener on Friday, Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. against Eastern Illinois. 2012 BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll
2012 BIG EAST Volleyball Preseason Awards BIG EAST Preseason Player of the Year: * Lola Arslanbekova, Louisville, Sr., OH
All-BIG EAST Preseason Team * - Unanimous Selection |
