The Chattanooga Mocs volleyball team earned 31 points and has been predicted to finish sixth in the Southern Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, the league announced Thursday afternoon.
Furman picked up 60 points including four first-place votes to be tabbed the preseason favorites. ETSU earned 57 points and three first-place votes to finish second while Wofford trailed in third with 53 points and two first-place votes.
Samford and UNCG finished fourth and fifth, respectively, after notching 41 and 37 points in the voting system.
Behind Chattanooga in sixth, Mercer (19), Western Carolina (18) and The Citadel (8) round out the nine-team conference.
Chattanooga returns a ton of talent to the lineup in 2018 including 13 letterwinners from 2017. The Mocs also welcome seven newcomers, all true freshmen, as they expect to see significant time on the court this season. The seven true freshmen mark the most on a UTC volleyball roster in program history.
Chattanooga opens up the new season against Belmont at 4 p.m. on Friday, August 24, in Knoxville, Tenn., as part of the Tennessee Invitational. UTC will then face No. 22 Michigan State and Tennessee on Saturday to close out tournament play. All ticket, match coverage and more information can be found on the schedule page.
Follow @GoMocsVB on Twitter for the most up-to-date information regarding Chattanooga volleyball.
2018 Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Furman (4) 60
2. ETSU (3) 57
3. Wofford (2) 53
4. Samford 41
5. UNCG 37
6. Chattanooga 31
7. Mercer 19
8. Western Carolina 18
9. The Citadel 8
() denotes first-place votes
2018 Volleyball Preseason All-Conference Team
OH, Leah Clayton, ETSU
LIB, Marija Popovic, ETSU
LIB, Meg DeMaar, Furman
OH, Jamila Johnson, Furman
MB, Paige Alsten, Mercer
OH, Krista Boesing, Samford
OH, Catie Cronister, Wofford
MB, Colleen Reilly, Wofford