CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Queens University of Charlotte volleyball team has been voted No. 8 in the Conference Carolinas preseason poll.

Bringing in a class of eight freshmen and a new assistant (Emily Carrara), head coach Angela McGuire is prepared for exciting third season on the bench for the Royals

With the loss of six players from the 2009 roster, McGuire credits the incoming class as the main variable for the 2010 campaign. With the additions of Carrara and a stellar new class, the Royals are a brand-new team, poised and ready to contend for the Conference Carolinas championship.

SENIOR
Alison Williams (Rougemont, N.C., Northern Durham) returns as the lone senior and will be counted on to provide much needed leadership for a roster that contains 12 underclassmen. Williams played in over 29 matches last year and 83 sets. She was a member of the Royals basketball team before deciding her passion was on the volleyball court and made the transition the spring of her sophomore year. She will return in the fall on the right side to provide a strong sense of leadership and enthusiasm. Her experience and maturity will be an asset as we bring around our younger players.

JUNIORS
While the junior class is small in numbers, it returns the tallest member of the team, the Royals' 6-2 MVP from 2009, Brittany Harvey (Matthews, N.C., Sun Valley ). Harvey is one of the best players in the conference and emerged as one of the strongest in her sophomore season. While spending last spring improving her pin-to-pin movement, agility and strength, she has matured in a way that makes her a potential all-conference candidate. She led last year's squad in kills and hitting percentage and will return as this year's number-one middle blocker.

The other returning junior is utility player Erica Mazur (Waxhaw, N.C., Weddington). Last season Mazur was plagued with injuries that kept her out of over half of the season. After two surgeries in early spring, one on her shoulder and one to remove bone spurs, she will be looked upon as a backup setter and will also see potential time on the outside and libero spots.

SOPHOMORES
The sophomore class started out with six in the beginning of the 2009 season but having lost two at the end of the year and an additional two to redishirting, Tori Hernandez (Gainesville, Fla., Gainesvillle) and Sarah Malpass (Gainesville, Fla., Gainesville) are the only two true-sophomores remaining. Hernandez will be one of the four middle blockers to vie for a starting spot this season. As a true freshman, she received the starting nod after graduated senior Tanisha Lea was injured for the first month of season. Additional position changes due to mid-season injuries reserved Hernandez a starting role for the remainder of the year. A versatile player, she led the team in blocking.  As she matures and continues to learn the college game, she will become a more formidable player on the team as well as within the conference.

Malpass returns this fall as the leading defensive player for the Royals. Having led the team in digs and digs per set, she is slated as the starting libero but will have to fight off incoming freshman who are poised and ready to push for her job. Malpass has a tremendous leadership ability and commands attention from her teammates out on the court. She runs a solid defense but will need to really hone in on her precision in order to be recognized as an elite conference player.

FRESHMEN
The Royals roster boasts eight freshmen this year and all of them have the possibility of seeing significant playing time immediately. Joining the team this fall will be Ashlyn Dibrell (Arlington, Texas, Lamar), Avery Moore (Arlington, Texas, Lamar), Anna Gibbs (Hickory, N.C., Hickory), Alexa Sparrell (Winter Park, Fla., Winter Park), Brittney Barren (Ham Lake, Minn., Blaine), Erin Mooney (Bradenton, Fla., Cardinal Mooney), Jocelyn Kellinger (Roanoke, Va., Cave Spring), and Taylor Riley (Lynchburg, Va., E.C. Glass).

Lees-McRae College was voted the the preseason favorite. The Lady Bobcats won the 2009 regular season with a 29-6 overall and 17-1 league record and took the conference tournament championship, giving them 10 of the last 11 conference tournament titles.  They earned a bid into the NCAA Tournament but fell in five sets to Flagler in the first round. 

The cornerstone for the Lady Bobcats this season will be middle blocker, Whitney Justice, who was named Conference Carolinas First-Team, Conference Carolinas Tournament MVP, First-Team All-Southeast Region and Honorable Mention All-American Honoree in 2009.  The Lady Bobcats will also feature key returners, setter Megan Mitchell, outside hitters Megan Epperson and Taylor Clendenin, opposite hitters Lauren Hall, Taylor Stice and Meme Brown. Epperson, who was the 2008 Freshman of the Year, joined Mitchell on last year's All-Conference Second-Team.

Pfeiffer University women's volleyball comes in at number two in this year's preseason poll as voted on by league head coaches. For the third consecutive year, Pfeiffer crossed the 20-win plateau in a 21-12 season in 2009 (18-3 league record). The Lady Falcons completed their 2009 season by going down 0-2 early in the Conference Tournament semifinals before battling back to push a fifth and final game, only to fall to Limestone 3-2.

The Lady Falcons return two of the three team leaders in kills from a year ago in Kristina Mordini and Jordan O'Bryant. Mordini, a Second-Team All-Conference member, paced Pfeiffer with 292 kills playing in all 33 matches. O'Bryant, logging time in 31 contests, finished with 214.  Outside hitter Abbie Ovbey, an All-Tournament team selection, and libero Kaci Markham return after 361 digs last year. Pfeiffer returns all but three from last year's young squad and will count on a freshman impact from newcomers Ashlee Panzer, Milana Mervosh, Anna Vizvary, Kasey Cain and Kim Amerell. The Lady Falcons departed with senior leader and school multi-record holder Brittany Dickens.

Limestone College, who finished 2009 with an overall record of 21-15 and 13-5 in league play, rounds out the top three selections in the coaches' poll. The Saints enter the 2010 campaign having reloaded on the offensive end following the graduation of their top three hitters. They do return the fuel for their offense in junior setters Danielle Seibert and Laura Kerrison. Last season Seibert led the team with an average of 5.37 assists and added 2.07 digs and 0.42 blocks per set while Kerrison posted marks of 5.04 assists to go along with 2.44 digs.

Defensively, senior middle hitter Sam Johnson is back following a season in which she was third on the team with 0.58 blocks per set and contributed 0.92 kills. She is second among returners in kills per set last year as junior outside hitter Holli Dawson leads that group with 1.77 from a year ago.

 
Conference Carolinas Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll (# of First Place Votes in Parenthesis)

1.    Lees-McRae         78(7) 
2.    Pfeiffer                    73(3)
3.    Limestone             63
4.     Mount Olive           51
5.     Erskine                  49
6.     Belmont Abbey     41
7.     Barton                    34
8.     Queens                 32
9.    Converse               16
10.  Coker                      13