BOSTON – Aiming to become just the third volleyball program in America East history to win three-straight league titles, UMBC is the favorite atop the 2022 America East Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
The coaches’ poll, which was announced Wednesday morning, was voted on by the league's head coaches, who could not vote for their own team.
The Retrievers, who won their second-straight league title last year, received four out of five possible first-place votes and 23 points. They were followed closely by 2021 runner up UAlbany in second with 19 points. Newcomer Bryant and UNH tied for third with 17 points and each earned a first-place vote.
Check out the full poll:
What to Watch For
- Kasey Crider takes over as UMBC head coach after serving as associate head coach at Miami.
- His squad will be led by sophomore Mia Bilusic, last year’s America East Rookie of the Year and a first-team All-Conference selection. She totaled a league-best 408 kills last year (3.74 kps).
- America East Setter of the Year Wren Macaulay returns to lead UNH. Her 917 assists last season were second-best in the conference.
- Bryant begins its first season in America East. The Bulldogs won the Northeast Conference regular-season title last year.
- Binghamton also welcomes a new coach in Allie Yaeger, who came to Vestal from Seton Hall, where she was the head coach for a decade.
The season begins on Friday, Aug. 26 with all six teams in action. Conference play, which will be double round robin format and each team playing 10 matches begins on Sept. 30 and concludes on Nov. 13. Full schedule
The 2022 #AEVB championship will consist of the league’s top four finishers will be hosted by the top seed on either Friday, Nov. 18 and Saturday, Nov. 19 or Saturday, Nov. 19 and Sunday, Nov. 20 and begins with the quarterfinals scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 5.
Fans will once again be able to watch nearly every #AEVB contest this season. Select games will air on The AE on ESPN while others will air on AmericaEast.TV. Those games will be available on computers, OTT devices and the America East app, which is available on all IOS and Android devices and can be found by searching ‘America East Conference’ in app stores.
Follow the @AEGameday Twitter account to stay up-to-date on America East volleyball news all season long and use #AEVB to join the conversation.
About America East: The America East provides its member schools and their athletic programs a platform upon which student-athletes can achieve both collegiate and life success through the promotion and nurturing of athletic excellence, academic achievement and leadership, on and off the field.
– Building the Complete Student-Athlete –