Women's Volleyball | Aug 16, 2018

SAINT LEO, Fla. – For the second-straight season the Saint Leo University volleyball team was picked to finish fourth in the Sunshine State Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Lions finished just one point out of third and picked up one first place vote among the 11 head coaches.
 
Defending champion Florida Southern was selected to repeat in 2018 and earned seven of the 11 first place tallies and a total of 94 points. Palm Beach Atlantic placed in a close second with 91 points and two first place votes. Tampa, who the Lions swept for the second-straight season last year, finished with 80 points and a single first place selection while the Lions came in one point back with 79 points to round out the top-four.
 
Last season the Lions finished with an impressive 23-7 record including a 16-4 mark in SSC play. Florida Southern was the lone SSC team to sweep the Lions last season with Saint Leo picking up either series victories or ties with the remaining nine teams. After opening conference play with three losses in the opening nine matches, the Lions closed the regular season with a 10-1 mark over the final 11 games to secure the No. 3 spot in the SSC standings just one game back from No. 2 Palm Beach Atlantic.
 
The Lions return four of its top-five kill leaders from last season including sophomore Ashley Quero who led Saint Leo with 305 kills last season. Defensively, the top five block leaders return to the 2018 squad while the digs leader, Jenya Kruglova, was lost to graduation.
 
For the latest news, updates, and information on the Saint Leo volleyball team be sure to visit SaintLeoLions.com. Fans can also stay up-to-date on the latest Lions news by following Saint Leo Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
 
2018 SSC VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL

Rank	School (FPV*)	Total Votes
1	Florida Southern (7)	94
2	Palm Beach Atlantic (2)	91
3	Tampa (1)	80
4	Saint Leo (1)	79
5	Eckerd	64
6	Embry-Riddle	52
7	Lynn	44
8	Barry	36
9	Rollins	30
10	Nova Southeastern	23
11	Florida Tech	12