2000 PRESEASON VOLLEYBALL POLL

In close vote Elmhurst prevails over North Central and Illinois Wesleyan in 2000 preseason volleyball poll

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE sent 08/14/00

ROCK ISLAND , Illinois - In the 14 previous years of volleyball the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin has seen seven of the eight league teams win at least one title. Four different schools have won the CCIW championship over the last four years. Last year the regular season champion Elmhurst did not even make it to the championship game of the CCIW tournament. Millikin won the tournament, the overall league title and the automatic qualifying berth for the NCAA Division III national tournament.

Clearly this is a sport where balance is the by word and the hot team at the end of the season usually gets rewarded. This year the favorites nod goes to head coach Julie Hall and her Elmhurst College Bluejays. They won the CCIW in 1998 and last year were 31-8 overall - one of three teams in the league with at least 30 victories - and a perfect 7-0 in conference play heading into the tournament.

Elmhurst picked up 46 points in the pre-season poll with four first place votes. North Central, who placed second in the tournament last year, nailed down the second slot with 39 points and two first place votes. Illinois Wesleyan was third with 36 points and no first place votes while Millikin picked up the last two first place votes and compiled 32 points for fourth place.

Augustana was in fifth with 28 points with Wheaton in sixth with 22. North Park was seventh with 14 points and Carthage wound up in eighth with seven points. Each coach votes for the seven other schools in the league but is not allowed to vote for his or her own team.

2000 CCIW PRESEASON COACHES POLL

(First place votes in parenthesis)

46. Elmhurst (4)

39. North Central (2)

36. Illinois Wesleyan

32. Millikin (2)

28. Augustana

22. Wheaton

14. North Park

07. Carthage

1999 CCIW FINAL VOLLEYBALL STANDINGS