SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Endicott women’s volleyball team was voted as the preseason favorite to take The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) title in poll conducted by conference coaches.  The Gulls earned 11 votes and four first place votes, finishing just ahead of Roger Williams and Western New England.

The Endicott College women’s volleyball program sets a goal every season to continually win the championship and go to the NCAA Tournament. The Gulls have made a history of doing just that, as they have reached the first round of the big dance four of the past six years. In 2010, that goal will be no different despite being knocked out of the TCCC playoffs in the semifinals last season.

Four starters and six contributing players make up the athletes returning to compete under Head Coach Tim Byram. Last year’s squad broke a five-year streak of 20-win seasons after compiling a 19-17 record with a solid 9-1 mark in-conference. The drop in wins can be attributed to a standard that has been a part of this program for a longtime: challenging the team with highly-ranked national and regional opponents. 

This fall, the Blue and Green will take to the court against seven teams that went to the NCAA Tournament in 2009 including Tufts who reached the Elite-8 and La Verne that played into the third round. Byram has scheduled three schools from the top 25 in the nation and nine of the top 15 from the New England region. One of the team’s biggest challenges this season will be a west coast trip to the La Verne Invitational where the Gulls will be facing off against three of the top programs in that region: La Verne, Cal Lutheran, and UC Santa Cruz. With their history of success, the Gulls will undoubtedly remain among the top contenders for a conference title and a possible return trip to the NCAA Tournament to face off against some of these non-conference foes.

Looking at this year’s roster, Coach Byram lost just one senior to graduation and welcomes back four players that started in at least 80 percent of the matches from 2009, including three all-conference players. The loss of Stephanie Wiese (Higganum, Conn.) will surely be felt at the outside hitter spot as Wiese ended her career as the program’s all-time leader in kills with 1,447 and earned TCCC First Team All-Conference honors last year. 

Returning at outside hitter position is senior \#Brittany Phillips\# (Sudbury, Mass.) who for the third season in-a-row earned all-conference honors by being named to the TCCC Second Team. Phillips shined with 300 kills at an average of 2.46 kills per set, both of which were second best on the team. She also proved to be effective on the serve with 53 aces as well as defensively with 354 digs. 

At the net, the Gulls will look towards middle blocker, \#Amy Grigg\# (Vernon, Conn.) and opposite, \#Elyse Barbour\# (Greenville, R.I.) for an intimidating presence as both players tower over six-foot tall. Grigg, a senior who led the team with 114 total blocks in 2009, started in 33 of Endicott’s 36 matches last year which was the most on the team. Barbour earned a TCCC Second Team All-Conference nod after posting 219 kills with a .220 hit percentage while making 86 blocks last season. The size and athleticism of this pair combine to form one of the top net presences in New England.

Senior \#Ally Murphy\# (Gilford, N.H.) logged the majority of the time at the setter position in 2009 and impressed with 614 assists for an average of 4.72 per set. Murphy also showed her defensive prowess by compiling 249 digs. With the arrival of junior transfer \#Sarah Allshouse\# (Berthoud, Colo.), Murphy’s skills will likely be shifted to a more defensive need as Allshouse has shown the ability to be a strong setter coming from Mid America Nazarene University.

With a year of college volleyball under their belts, this falls sophomore class is hungry for their first title. \#Ashley Norley\# (Sudbury, Mass.) was a three time TCCC Rookie of the Week award winner and plans to anchor the serve receive and defense from her libero position.  \#Gillian Kucharski\# (Avon, Conn.) also played a variety of defensive roles for the Gulls and is sure to find some time. \#Allison Schait\# (Mattituck, N.Y.) and \#Liz Duggan\# (Kingstown, R.I.) will also be counted on to provide depth and ball control in their defensive roles.

Looking ahead to the fall schedule, Endicott have their eyes set on a number of matches that will be very telling about how they stand against the competition. The Gulls will have a rematch against Roger Williams University, the TCCC school that upset them in the semifinals and went on to win the conference title. That match will be played on September 29 at 7:00 p.m. in Bristol, Rhode Island. That match is the first of three in-a-row against TCCC opponents with the next two being played on October 3 against Wentworth and Western New England in home tri-match in Beverly. The Gulls then travel westward to play in the La Verne Invitational from October 8-9 and then return home to play in another crucial non-conference tournament against NCAA Tournament qualifiers SUNY New Paltz and Wellesley at the Wellesley Invitational on October 16-17. Over the next two weeks, the opponents have consistently sat at the top of the New England region rankings and include NESCAC rivals Tufts, Conn and Bowdoin. Endicott will wrap up the season with two final matches against TCCC opponents Gordon and Salve Regina on October 28 and 30, respectively, before the conference playoffs begin in the first week in November. 

2010 TCCC Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll 

TEAM	POINTS (1st place)
1. Endicott	111 (4)
2. Roger Williams	108 (4)
3. Western New England	105
4. Colby-Sawyer	90
5. University of New England	72
6. Salve Regina	69
7. Gordon	55
8. Regis	35
9. Wentworth	30
10. Anna Maria	28
11. Eastern Nazarene	23