Sports News: Fall 2005

Thursday, August 25, 2005

MORAVIAN WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL SELECTED SIXTH IN COMMONWEALTH POLL

ANNVILLE, PA --- The Moravian College women’s volleyball team has been selected to finish sixth in the 2005 Commonwealth Conference Preseason Poll as voted by the conference head coaches.

The Greyhounds, who had a streak of eight straight 20-win seasons and eight consecutive postseason appearances snapped last season, received 22 points while Juniata College, which had 49 points and seven first place votes, was selected as the preseason favorite. Elizabethtown College was second at 41 points followed by Lebanon Valley College with 35 points and the remaining first place vote. Susquehanna University was selected fourth with 29 points while Widener University was fifth at 26 points, Messiah College was seventh with 14 points and Albright College was picked eighth with eight points.

Moravian has its sights set on a return to the postseason in 2005 with the return of five starters and nine letterwinners. Head coach Shelley Bauder looks for improvement of last year’s 15-17 record, which snapped a string of eight straight postseason berths.

Senior middle hitter Lindsey Siracusa (Yardley, PA/Pennsbury HS) will lead this year’s squad after being named an American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III Honorable Mention All-American last fall. Siracusa, who was also on the Commonwealth All-Conference First Team last season, enters the 2005 campaign just 338 kills shy of the Moravian career mark of 1,516 set by Kim Zipf ’04. Siracusa had 389 kills, 96 blocks, 31 digs, 26 service aces and a .271 hitting percentage a year ago.

The Greyhounds will open their 2005 campaign on Thursday, September 1st in a non-conference match versus DeSales University in Johnston Hall at 7:00 p.m.

2005 COMMONWEALTH CONFERENCE WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON POLL

1. Juniata College (7)
49
2. Elizabethtown College
41
3. Lebanon Valley College (1)
35
4. Susquehanna University
29
5. Widener University
26
6. Moravian College
22
7. Messiah College
14
8. Albright College
8

First-place votes in parentheses