Titans Ranked 23rd In AVCA Preseason Poll
UW-Oshkosh, which earned a portion of the past two WIAC women's volleyball championships, will enter the 2017 season as the 23rd-ranked team in the NCAA Division III, according to a preseason poll conducted by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA).
The Titans return 10 letter winners, including four starters, from last year's squad that tallied a 28-8 record, shared the WIAC title with both UW-La Crosse and UW-Whitewater, and participated in the first round of the NCAA Championship.
Defending national champion Calvin College (Mich.) (33-1 record in 2016) listed first in the AVCA's preseason poll while Emory University (Ga.) (33-6) ranked second, Washington University in St. Louis (Mo.) (27-11) third, University of Northwestern-St. Paul (Minn.) (34-5) fourth and Southwestern University (Texas) (34-5) fifth.
Rounding out the top 10 teams were sixth-ranked California Lutheran University (27-5 record in 2016), seventh-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Colleges (Calif.) (23-4), eighth-ranked University of Texas at Dallas (32-3), ninth-ranked Colorado College (28-6) and 10th-ranked University of Mary Washington (Va.) (31-4).
UW-Oshkosh was among three WIAC programs mentioned in the poll, with the others being 12th-ranked UW-Whitewater (29-7 record in 2016) and 18th-ranked UW-La Crosse (23-6).
UW-Oshkosh, which has been ranked in the AVCA's top 25 for the past 11 polls, will play 10 teams listed in this year's preseason poll.
The Titans will host third-ranked Washington University in St. Louis on Sept. 8; 18th-ranked UW-La Crosse on Sept. 20; 12th-ranked UW-Whitewater on Sept. 27; and both fourth-ranked University of Northwestern-St. Paul and eighth-ranked University of Texas at Dallas on Oct. 21.
UW-Oshkosh will visit 14th-ranked Trinity University (Texas) (27-8 record in 2016) on Sept. 2 while playing neutral court matches against top-ranked Calvin College and sixth-ranked California Lutheran University in San Antonio, Texas, on Sept. 1; and 17th-ranked Millikin University (Ill.) (28-12) and 19th-ranked Tufts University (Mass.) (27-4) in Bloomington, Ill., on Sept. 22 and 23, respectively.
UW-Oshkosh returns a trio of All-WIAC performers from last season in first team award winners Tina Elstner (Jr. • Left-side Hitter) and Samantha Jaeke (So. • Left-side/Opposite Hitter) and honorable mention selection Carly Lemke (Jr. • Middle Blocker).
Jaeke was named last season's AVCA NCAA Division III Midwest Region Freshman of the Year after hitting .243 with 331 kills, 131 digs, 111 blocks, 66 assists and 36 service aces.
Elstner hit .214 and counted 399 kills, 373 digs, 73 blocks and 40 service aces last year while Lemke hit .271 and compiled 211 kills, 94 blocks and 40 digs.
UW-Oshkosh, which hasn't suffered a losing season since 1998, begins practice for its 2017 campaign on Saturday (Aug. 19). The Titans will be guided by interim head coach Jon Ellmann.