FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Piedmont College volleyball was picked fourth in the USA South Athletic Conference’s Preseason Coaches Poll on Thursday.
The Lady Lions received 30 points in the West Division and trailed Covenant, Huntingdon and Maryville.
Covenant took five first-place votes and 46 points while the Hawks received two first-place votes and 42 points. Maryville picked up the last first-place vote.
Last season, the Lady Lions finished with a 16-11 record and an appearance in the conference championship game, a first for the program since joining the conference in 2012.
Piedmont entered the tournament as the No. 4 seed out of the West and upset No. 1 Covenant College in the second round.
PC would advance to the semifinals and won a tight 3-2 battle against William Peace. The Lady Lions would see their run end the following day with a loss to Meredith College in the championship game.
In the East, Meredith took seven first-place votes with William Peace getting the final two.
Piedmont will open play in the Emory Classic on Aug. 30 against Oglethorpe and Belhaven. On Sept. 3, the Lady Lions open their home schedule against Truett-McConnell at 7:00 p.m.
2019 USA South Volleyball Coaches Preseason Poll West Division |
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Rank | Institution (1st Place Votes) | Pts. |
1. | Covenant^ (5) | 46 |
2. | Huntingdon (2) | 42 |
3. | Maryville (1) | 38 |
4. | Piedmont | 30 |
5. | LaGrange | 28 |
6. | Brevard* | 16 |
7. | Berea | 13 |
8. | Agnes Scott | 11 |
*Ineligible for USA South Tournament (Div. III Reclassifying Member) ^Defending Division Champion |