Junior Chidima Osuchukwu leads George Washington |
From our friends at GW Athletics...
Colonials Garner Two First-Place Votes
The George Washington volleyball team tallied two first-place votes and 79 total points to rank second out of 10 teams in the annual Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll. The poll was conducted among the conference's head coaches.
The second-place position in the poll marks the highest preseason ranking for George Washington since being voted second in the 2003 preseason poll.
Defending champion Dayton was picked to finish first with 88 total points and eight first-place votes. The Colonials finished ahead of Saint Louis (74), Rhode Island (58), VCU (57) and Duquesne (48). George Mason (30), Davidson (23), Fordham (21) and La Salle (17) round out the poll.
GW was the Atlantic 10 runner up last season after finishing 22-8 overall, 11-3 in the Atlantic 10 and advancing to its first A-10 Championship match since 2002.
The Colonials return 10 letterwinners in 2015, including Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team and AVCA All-America Honorable Mention selection Chidima Osuchukwu. GW also welcomes back its starting setter and libero in seniors Jordan Timmer and Maddy Doyle.
Six newcomers bring the total roster size to 16, the largest roster in head coach Amanda Ault's tenure.
GW opens the regular season on Friday at the Michigan Invitational against the host Wolverines at 7:00 PM. The Colonials will face West Virginia (12:00 PM) and Oakland (5:00 PM) on Saturday.
2015 Atlantic 10 Volleyball Preseason Poll
(first-place votes in parenthesis)
1. Dayton (8) - 88
2. George Washington (2) - 79
3. Saint Louis - 74
4. Rhode Island - 58
5. VCU - 57
6. Duquesne - 48
7. George Mason - 30
8. Davidson - 23
9. Fordham - 21
10. La Salle - 17