The Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) announced the 2021 WHAC Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll on Monday afternoon. The Siena Heights women's volleyball squad was chosen to finish sixth in the poll. That position is one spot back from the team's 2020-21 league finish of fifth. The Saints completed last season 9-9 overall with a 7-8 conference mark last spring.
The Siena Heights women's volleyball team looks to use the experience gained from last season and propel forward into 2021. The team returns the full starting lineup from the previous year while also adding new talent in the incoming class of 2021. The Saints lost no one to graduation after the 2020-21 year and boast returners that include 1st-Team All-WHAC selection Janel Ruhlman, 2nd-Team All-WHAC and All-Freshman member Aubrey Bates, and lead blockers Kate Ferris and Aline Marinelo. In addition, First-Team all-state recipients Lyndsey Benschoter and Olivia LaRocca highlight this year's recruiting class and should help Siena improve in the WHAC standings during the 2021 season.
"It's not where you start. It's where you finish," said SHU women's volleyball head coach Kim Berrington. "We were able to give a lot of young players significant playing time last season, and we hope that allows us to improve as a team this year."
The preseason poll is voted on by the coaches in the league who rank each team in the WHAC from 1-11. Eleven points are given to the team at the top of the list, 10 points to the second-ranked team, and so on to determine the order of the poll.
Madonna received four of the 11 first-place votes to finish atop the poll with 114 points. Aquinas fell to second with 110 points despite receiving five first-place votes. Reigning WHAC Champion Cornerstone was given two first-place votes to finish with 97 points and third place. Indiana Tech snagged fourth with 92 points. Lourdes edged SHU for fifth with 68 points, while the Saints totaled 67 points for sixth. Concordia (Mich.) was seventh with 58 points, and Lawrence Tech finished with 44 for eighth. Rochester (33 points), UNOH (25), and UM-Dearborn (18) rounded out the poll.
For the WHAC release of the 2021 Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll, click here.
