University at Albany is the unanimous preseason favorite to repeat as America East volleyball champions, according to a vote of the conference's head coaches. The Great Danes received all six possible first-place votes (coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team) and 36 points overall, ahead of University of Maine (29 points), which had one first-place vote to its credit, and University of New Hampshire (28).
Complete Poll
UMBC (17) and Stony Brook University (17) were tied for the fourth spot, while Binghamton University (14) and University of Hartford (6) rounded out the seven-team poll.
The top four teams in the conference will advance to the America East Championship with the winner of the tournament receiving an automatic bid to the NCAA Championship.
The Great Danes (13-1 America East, 27-7 overall) won their first America East regular-season and tournament championships in 2004, marking the university's first women's program in school history to earn an NCAA Division I Tournament berth. Head coach Kelly Sheffield, the 2004 America East Coach of the Year, returns six starters and nine letterwinners from a team that won a school record 27 games a season ago. Blair Buchanan, the 2004 America East Player and Setter of the Year, returns for her junior campaign to lead the Great Danes. Last season, Buchanan led America East in assists (12.59 per game) and also averaged 2.31 digs per game and 1.28 kills per game. Also back for the defending champions are 2004 America East First Team All-Conference selections Ashley Hunter (3.74 kpg), Shelby Goldman (4.21 kpg) and Ashlee Reed (2.65 kpg, 2.20 dpg, 0.66 blocks per game).
Maine (10-4, 17-11) returns a pair of senior All-Conference First Team picks from 2004 in Shannon Fotter (.340 hitting percentage, 1.05 bpg) and Kaili Jordan (3.58 kpg). Second-year head coach Lynn Atherley guided the Black Bears to their second America East title game in program history a season ago and was just three wins shy (17-11) of recording the program's first-ever 20-win season.
New Hampshire (5-9, 9-20) failed to make the America East Championship for the first time in seven years in 2004, but a revamped Wildcat lineup has head coach Jill Hirschinger poised to lead her squad back to the league dominance that they have grown accustomed to over her nine-year tenure at UNH. The Wildcats return senior outside hitter and two-time All-Conference selection Erin Walker (3.41 kpg, 0.43 service aces per game) to lead the UNH offense.
Head coach Ian Blanchard looks to improve UMBC (4-10, 13-18) in his first year at the helm of the Retrievers. Five starters and 11 letterwinners return for Blanchard, including senior setter Megan Gross (10.17 apg) and sophomore outside hitter Emily Berman (3.67 kpg, 1.01 dpg).
Stony Brook (6-8, 14-6) welcomes back nine letterwinners and two starters from a 2004 squad that missed the four-team America East Championship by just one game. Entering her sixth season with the Seawolves, head coach Deb Matejka-DesLauriers is hopeful her three newcomers will make an immediate impact.
Binghamton (7-7, 17-17) earned its first-ever bid to the conference tournament in 2004 and seventh-year head coach Glenn Kiriyama is looking to build upon that in 2005. Kiriyama returns seven letterwinners and three starters from a season ago, including All-Conference Second Team selection Jacki Kane (.326 hitting percentage) and Ashley Meffert (10.51 apg).
Hartford (0-14, 5-27) enters the 2005 season under first-year head coach Don Ferguson and returns 11 letterwinners and all six starters. Senior Brianne Paulson (8.31 apg) and sophomore Jennifer Monroy (2.85 kpg, 2.70 dpg) are the top returners for the Hawks.