Aug. 31, 2007

ASTON, Pa.,- Neumann College was predicted to finish in second place in the 2007 Pennsylvania Athletic Conference  volleyball race according to a preseason poll of the conference's 12 head coaches.

The Knights received one first-place vote in the poll for 129 total points, 13 behind Eastern, the 10-time defending champion, who was picked to defend its 2006 title and received 10 first-place votes.  Gwynedd Mercy was just 13 points behind Neumann with 116 points.  Cabrini was fourth with 107 points, followed by Marywood (90), Alvernia (87), and Misericordia University, who received one first-place vote and was seventh with 69 points.  Cedar Crest (62), Notre Dame (47), Centenary (37), Immaculata (35) and Rosemont (15) rounded out the bottom five. 

The Knights were picked to finish fourth in 2006 after a fourth-place finish in 2005.  Instead, Neumann finished in a tie for second in the PAC last year with a 9-2 conference mark and a 19-13 overall record, earning head coach Deana Jespersen PAC Coach of the Year honors for the second time. 

In addition to Jespersen's honor, the team was well-represented in the conference awards with current juniors Julia Tarloski (Malvern, Pa. /Bishop Shanahan) and Kristen Verone (Folsom, Pa. /Cardinal O'Hara) named to the All-PAC First Team. 

Besides Tarloski and Verone, outside hitter Rachael Sokolovich (Media, Pa. /Ridley), now a junior, was named to the PAC All-Conference Honorable Mention Team and middle hitter Emilee Gruse (Lafayette, In. /St. Mark's) was named 2006 PAC Rookie of the Year.  All four players return in 2007.

The Knights will open their season at the Haverford College Volleyball Invitational over Labor Day weekend. Updates can be found by clicking GO KNIGHTS!

2007 PAC Volleyball Poll Totals

	Points	1st Place Votes
Eastern	142	10
Neumann	129	1
Gwynedd-Mercy	116	0
Cabrini	107	0
Marywood	90	0
Alvernia	87	0
Misericordia	69	1
Cedar Crest	62	0
Notre Dame	47	0
Centenary	37	0
Immaculata	35	0
Rosemont	15	0