Aug. 8, 2007

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The BIG EAST Conference released its preseason poll of league head coaches on Wednesday afternoon, and Villanova has been picked to finish 10th in the league in 2007. The Wildcats return nine letterwinners from a 2006 squad that posted a winning record for the second straight year and tied for eighth place in the conference standings.

Villanova begins preseason practice later this week and will be gearing up for the season opener at George Mason later this month. Among the nine returnees to the Wildcats are senior middle hitter Kacy Sellers (Battle Creek, Mich.), a second team All-BIG EAST selection a year ago, and senior outside hitter Alona Cherkez (Crimea, Ukraine). Both are impact players in the league and will play pivotal roles this year.

Under first year head coach Josh Steinbach, the Wildcats will feature a relatively young but experienced roster in 2007. Nearly all of the nine returning players have seen significant playing time during their careers and all 10 players on the roster will be counted on to make their presence felt during matches.

"There are a lot of starters back from last season and that is going to be a strength that we rely on quite heavily," Steinbach said. "The team is going to count on the older players for leadership and to set the standard for the entire team."

Villanova will be aiming to beat its preseason prediction and qualify for the BIG EAST Tournament by finishing in the top eight in the league standings. The Wildcats most recently qualified for the conference playoffs in 2005. Last season Villanova tied for eighth place in the standings with University of South Florida, but the Bulls made the conference tournament by virtue of owning a tie-breaker over the Wildcats.

Notre Dame was picked to win the league by just one point over Louisville. The Fighting Irish received eight first-place votes and 188 points, while the Cardinals had seven first-place votes and 187 points. St. John's (172), Pittsburgh (147) and Marquette (141) rounded out the top five. The Wildcats received 75 points to finish ahead of Seton Hall (65), Georgetown (58), DePaul (34), Rutgers (34) and West Virginia (26).

Hui Ping Huang (St. John's) and Tatyana Kolesnikova (Louisville) were selected as the Preseason Co-Players of the Year.

Named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team were Diana Andreyko (Pittsburgh), Mallorie Croal (Notre Dame), Samantha Dabbs (Louisville), Bridget Denson-Dorman (Connecticut), Meagan Dooley (Pittsburgh), Marcela Gurgel (University of South Florida), Hui Ping Huang (St. John's), Tatyana Kolesnikova (Louisville), Wioleta Leszczynska (St. John's), Jessie Nevitt (Cincinnati), Andrianna Stasiuk (Notre Dame), Kimberley Todd (Marquette) and Kathleen Yee (St. John's).

BIG EAST Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll

1) Notre Dame - 188 points (8 first-place votes)
2) Louisville - 187 (7 first-place votes)
3) St. John's - 172
4) Pittsburgh - 147
5) Marquette - 141
6) Cincinnati - 137
7) Connecticut - 112
8) University of South Florida - 112
9) Syracuse - 87
10) Villanova - 75
11) Seton Hall - 65
12) Georgetown - 58
13) DePaul - 34
14) Rutgers - 34
15) West Virginia - 26

BIG EAST Preseason Awards

Preseason Co-Players of the Year
Hui Ping Huang, MH/OH, St. John's
Tatyana Kolesnikova, OH, Louisville

Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Diana Andreyko, OH, Pittsburgh
Mallorie Croal, OH, Notre Dame
Samantha Dabbs, S, Louisville
Bridget Denson-Dorman, S, Connecticut
Meagan Dooley, MH, Pittsburgh
Marcela Gurgel, OH, University of South Florida
Hui Ping Huang, MH/OH, St. John's
Tatyana Kolesnikova, OH, Louisville
Wioleta Leszczynska, S/RS, St. John's
Jessie Nevitt, MB, Cincinnati
Andrianna Stasiuk, OH, Notre Dame
Kimberley Todd, OH/MB, Marquette
Kathleen Yee, L, St. John's