NEW HAVEN, CT - Caldwell College and Georgian Court University have been selected to win their respective divisions as the 2009 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) volleyball preseason poll was released today. Caldwell garnered 10 first place votes to top the North Division poll, while Georgian Court was voted first in the South after picking up nine first place nods.  The 14 head coaches conducted the voting.

Bloomfield College earned four first place votes and finished second in the North with 83 points. The Deacons were followed by Post University (60 points), Dominican College (45), conference newcomer Concordia College (42), Nyack College (41) and Felician College (27). In the South, Holy Family University finished second with 75 points and one first-place nod. Philadelphia University was third with three first-place votes and 74 points, while Wilmington University was voted first on one ballot and accumulated 56 points. The division is rounded out by the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia (45), Goldey-Beacom College (33) and Chestnut Hill College (17).

Georgian Court, the defending CACC Champion, returns four All-CACC performers, including first team pick Stephanie Rivera. The senior middle hitter will be joined by three second team selections in senior libero Ana Cruz, senior setter Lisamary Figueroa and senior outside hitter Janelle Murdock. The Lions are seeking their fourth consecutive CACC Championship after upending Philadelphia, 3-0, in last season's title game. GCU went on to claim the CACC's first-ever NCAA Tournament victory with a 3-0 triumph over Merrimack College at the East Regional. The Lions have won 51 straight matches against CACC foes, dating back to Oct. 7, 2006.

Caldwell was picked to finish last in the North Division last season after posting a combined 4-41 record in 2006 and 2007. The Cougars shocked the league and went 18-11 overall, including a 13-4 mark in conference play, to capture the North and qualify for the CACC Tournament. The Cougars advanced to the semi-finals before falling to Philadelphia. Twelve of last year's players return, including All-CACC performers Amber Moser, Lauren Roth and Titilola Alao. Moser was named to the All-CACC first team, Roth made the second team and Alao was an honorable mention. Head Coach Megan Hrbek was chosen the CACC Coach of the Year after guiding the Cougars to the dramatic turnaround

The 2009 season gets underway on Thursday, Aug. 27, with Philadelphia, Dominican and Concordia opening their campaigns. The conference slate begins on Saturday, Aug. 29 when Philadelphia travels to Goldey-Beacom. The CACC Tournament will be hosted by Georgian Court on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 13 and 14. First round matches will be played on Tuesday, Nov. 10, on campus sites.

The complete 2009 CACC Volleyball preseason poll is below.

CACC Volleyball

                                    2009 Preseason Coaches' Poll                                      

NORTH DIVISION                   

School                        2008 Records         Points                

1. Caldwell (10)          18-11/13-4 CACC       94                                       

2. Bloomfield (4)         15-15/12-5                 83                                       

3. Post                         10-24/8-9                  60                       

4. Dominican               2-25/2-15                   45                       

5. Concordia                2-26/0-16*                42           

6. Nyack                     6-26/5-12                   41                                                                                   

7. Felician                    3-28/3-14                  27                       

()-First Place Votes                                                                

*-Record as member of ECC                                                                                 

SOUTH DIVISION

School                         2008 Record      Points

1. Georgian Court (9)  32-5/18-0            92

2. Holy Family (1)      23-14/14-4            75

3. Philadelphia (3)       21-13/14-4          74

4. Wilmington (1)        19-16/12-6           56

5. USP                         11-18/9-9            45

6. Goldey-Beacom      9-19/4-14             33

7. Chestnut Hill          2-22/0-18             17

()-First Place Vote