2010 Commonwealth Conference Preseason Poll

ANNVILLE, Pa. – For the second time in program history and second straight year, the Lebanon Valley College women's volleyball team will enter the season as the defending Commonwealth Conference champions. In the annual preseason poll voted on by the coaches released Wednesday, the Dutchmen were selected to repeat with five first place votes and 47 total points. Elizabethtown was picked second with two first place votes and 44 points, while Messiah and Widener tied for third with 34 points.

The 2009 season saw Lebanon Valley College continue to rewrite the history books and cement its status as the Commonwealth Conference favorite. Winning the conference title for the second straight year, the Dutchmen earned their second trip to the NCAA tournament. The squad finished with a 31-3 overall record and was 6-1 in CC play to earn the playoffs' top seed.

Racking up honors along the way, outside hitter Joelle Snyder was named Commonwealth Conference Player of the Year, the second straight season a Dutchmen has earned the accolade. Snyder joined Erin Yost '09 as the only other LVC player to be named CC Player of the Year. Three fellow teammates also appeared on the all-conference team. Setter Emily Perkins was a first team selection, while libero Angela Kuperavage and outside hitter Jess Raber were tabbed for the second team. Head coach Wayne Perry was named Coach of the Year for the second straight year and fourth time overall.

Highlighting this year's squad is a core group of seniors in Emily Hopkins, Michelle Little, Perkins, Raber and Snyder. All five play an important role in the attack, with Snyder and Hopkins as the top middle hitters. Snyder, the reigning conference player of the year, finished with a .328 hitting percentage and 3.26 kills per game to lead the Commonwealth, while Hopkins was sixth in kills per game (2.79). Also one of the team's top servers, Snyder posted 57 aces in 2009.

Little, a versatile player, sees action up front and on the back line. In 2009, she racked up a second-best 231 kills and 293 digs. Raber, a second team All-Commonwealth selection and middle hitter, tallied a .242 hitting percentage and a second-best 44 blocks.

Juniors Nicole Barra and Jamie Hawk will provide power up front. Barra tallied 116 kills last season, while Hawk had a breakout season notching 171 kills, a second-best .243 hitting percentage and a team-high 50 blocks.

Claiming the setter role is Perkins, who ranked 22nd nationally and was atop the Commonwealth Conference with 10.49 assists per game (1143 total). A first team all-conference selection, she also tallied 33 aces and 248 digs. Sophomore Ally Stengel will back up after seeing action in 14 matches last year and posting a second-best 126 assists.

Patrolling the back line are juniors Kuperavage, Stephanie Derk and Rome Oliver, along with sophomore Hannah Free. Kuperavage, a second team All-Commonwealth selection as libero in 2009, had a team-high 529 digs and a second-best 55 aces. Derk, a defensive specialist, saw action in 27 matches and recorded 149 digs, while Oliver filled in on the back line. Roaming the defense, Free appeared in 33 matches last season, compiling 281 digs.

The Dutchmen welcome three freshmen to the team this year, adding depth across all positions. Defensive specialists Sasha Birosik and Jess Finlayson join, and both double as liberos. Finlayson can also fill the outside hitter role, as well as Megan Schoch. The three are poised to contribute as LVC strives for another conference title.