LOS ANGELES – Cal State L.A. has been picked to finish third in the California Collegiate Athletic Association in a poll of conference coaches released by the conference on Monday.
Four-time defending champion Cal State San Bernardino was picked to win the 2010 conference title and received the maximum 11 first-place votes and 121 points. UC San Diego got the other first-place vote and was picked to finish second with 103 points. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own teams.
Cal State L.A., which reached the NCAA West Region championship match last season, finished with a 23-9 overall record in 2009 and placed third in the CCAA with a 17-5 mark. The Golden Eagles were selected to finish third again, although narrowly over Sonoma State. Cal State L.A. finished with 98 points in the coaches’ voting, while Sonoma State had 97.
Cal State L.A. defeated Sonoma State in five sets in a first-round NCAA match last season and then swept UC San Diego in three sets to reach the West Region championship match, where the Golden Eagles fell to Cal State San Bernardino.
The Golden Eagles will be seeking their seventh straight trip to the NCAA playoffs.
Second-year head coach Randi Smart welcomes back 10 players, including five starters, from last year’s team. Three of those players – junior middle blocker Mary Laupepa, senior outside hitter Zuzana Cizova and sophomore middle blocker Marquis Mora – earned All-CCAA honors last year. Laupepa earned first-team All-Conference recognition, while Cizova and Mora earned second-team honors. Cizova was also named the CCAA Newcomer of the Year.
Stefanie Gay, who set a new program record for digs last season, is also back for her senior season, while senior Kassie Faulkner and junior Chelsea Hamilton also return after seeing significant playing time last season.
Cal State L.A. will open its 2010 season on Thursday, Sept. 2 with a home match against Northwood (MI) in the three-day Cal State L.A./Cal Poly Pomona Invitational.
2010 CCAA Preseason Volleyball Coaches Poll
Rank School (First-Place Votes) Total Points 2009 Record
1. Cal State San Bernardino (11) 121 33-2, 21-1 CCAA
2. UC San Diego (1) 103 29-3, 20-2
3. Cal State L.A. 98 23-9, 17-5
4. Sonoma State 97 23-8, 15-7
5. Chico State 82 23-9, 14-8
6. Cal Poly Pomona 63 11-18, 8-14
7. San Francisco State 61 20-11, 13-9
8. Cal State East Bay 55 10-21, 8-14
9. Cal State Monterey Bay 36 13-19, 7-15
10. Cal State Dominguez Hills 23 2-27, 2-20
10. Humboldt State 23 7-23, 3-19
12. Cal State Stanislaus 22 10-20, 4-18