GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org)--Following its second-straight Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) Championship Tournament title, the Westminster College women’s volleyball program has been selected as the league favorite in 2021, according to the league's annual preseason coaches' poll. The results of this year's poll, voted on by the conference's 10 head coaches, were revealed with the PAC's Players to Watch List Wednesday afternoon. 

Westminster, led by 29th-year head coach Tammy Swearingen, claimed eight first-place votes and 89 total points to top this year's preseason coaches' poll. 

The No. 1 seed in last spring's championship tournament, Westminster did not drop a set in its two tournament wins. Westminster secured a 3-0 victory over No. 3 Grove City College in the championship tournament title match on April 15. It was the program's fifth PAC championship. Westminster has advanced to the league's title match in each of the last four seasons.

Bethany College and Grove City tied for second in the preseason coaches' poll, with each program collecting one first-place vote and 73 total points. 

Bethany, led by 15th-year head coach Courtney Hilyer, was the No. 4 seed in the conference's championship tournament last spring. On April 10 the Bison suffered a five-set loss to No. 5 Washington & Jefferson College in the quarterfinal round. The 2018 PAC champion, Bethany had made eight-straight appearances in the semifinal round before suffering quarterfinal losses in 2019 and 2020-21. Bethany owns a pair of PAC titles. 

Led by third-year head coach Leo Sayles, Grove City earned the No. 3 seed in the league's championship tournament last spring. The Wolverines secured a straight-set win over No. 2 Geneva College in the semifinal round on April 13 and advanced to the championship tournament's title match for the first time since 2002. In 2019, Sayles guided the Grove City volleyball program to its first 20-win season in 12 years. Grove City owns a PAC-best nine conference championships, with its last coming in 2001. 

W&J registered 71 points to finish fourth while Geneva was fifth (57). Saint Vincent College and Thiel College tied for sixth with 45 points. Chatham University was eighth (41), followed by Franciscan University in ninth (24) and Waynesburg University in 10th (22). 

This season’s players to watch list includes seven All-PAC First Team selections, six All-PAC Second Team selections and nine All-PAC Honorable Mention selections from last spring. 

Westminster senior Maya Steward (Tarzana, Calif. | William Howard Taft) and Grove City sophomore Anna DeGraaf (Cranberry Township, Pa. | Seneca Valley) highlight this year's players to watch list. In April Steward was voted the PAC Player of the Year while DeGraaf collected the PAC Newcomer of the Year award. 

Steward and DeGraaf also earned spots on the league's All-Tournament Team after the conclusion of the six-team event last spring, with Steward claiming Most Outstanding Player honors. 

A three-time All-PAC selection (second team in 2018 and 2019), Steward averaged 3.58 kills and 3.95 points per match while hitting .249 (118-35-334). Her 118 kills last spring ranked fourth in the league. Steward racked up 91 kills during Westminster's 8-0 conference regular season. She had 15 or more kills on three occasions this season, including tying her career high with 17 in the conference tournament title match. 

DeGraaf had a terrific first season for Grove City, finishing fourth in the PAC in total blocks (35.0) and fifth with a .280 hitting percentage (105-31-264). Her 105 kills were the third-most by a Grove City player this season. Her 135.0 points scored this season were the sixth-most in the league. 

The players to watch list includes 23 members of the 2020-21 PAC Academic Honor Roll, which recognizes student-athletes on varsity sports teams who have earned a grade-point average (GPA) of 3.6 or higher on a 4.0 scale during their semester of competition. Three players included also earned College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Division III First Team Academic All-District^® honors on June 10, as voted upon by the region's sports information directors, with Thiel senior Courtney Grubbs (Freeport, Pa. | Freeport) being named to the 2020-21 Academic All-America^® Third Team July 14.

The league’s regular season concludes Saturday, October 30 with the six-team PAC Championship Tournament scheduled to get underway Tuesday, November 2. The title match is slated for Saturday, Nov. 6. 

This year’s tournament champion will secure the PAC’s automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Division III Championship. Team selections for the Division III Championship will be announced Monday, Nov. 8, with regional action slated for Thursday-Sunday, Nov. 11-14.  
 

2021 PAC Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll (Predicted order of finish)
School (first-place votes)	Points	2020-21 record (PAC)
1. Westminster College (8)	89	10-1 (8-0)
T-2. Bethany College (1)	73	5-5 (5-3)
T-2. Grove City College (1)	73	7-5 (7-3)
4. Washington & Jefferson College	71	7-6 (5-4)
5. Geneva College	57	10-2 (6-1)
T-6. Saint Vincent College	45	3-7 (2-7)
T-6. Thiel College	45	2-9 (2-7)
8. Chatham University	41	5-5 (3-5)
9. Franciscan University	24	3-6 (3-6)
10. Waynesburg University	22	2-10 (2-6)

2021 PAC Women's Volleyball Players to Watch

Bethany
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Lynn Burton	So.	S	Columbus, Ohio | Westerville North
Brooke Corley	Sr.	LIB	Scottdale, Pa. | Westmoreland
Riley Felton	Jr.	OPP	Salineville, Ohio | Southern Local
Emma Marthins	So.	MB	Elkridge, Md. | Howard
Jess Moore	Sr.	OH	Stewartstown, Pa. | Kennard-Dale

 

Chatham
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Amelia Bogovich	So.	OH	Forrest Hills, Pa. | Serra Catholic
Meghan Dominek	So.	DS	Pittsburgh, Pa. | North Hills
Rylee Ritko	Jr.	OH	Hollidaysburg, Pa. | Hollidaysburg

 

Franciscan
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Renee Antonelli	Sr.	OH	Wintersville, Ohio | Indian Creek
Maria Bosco	Sr.	MB	Cranberry Township, Pa. | Quigley Catholic
Emily Nutter	Sr.	S	Johnstown, Ohio | Newark Catholic
Caitlin O'Malley	Sr.	RS	Alturas, Calif. | Modoc
Lucy Pridemore	Fr.	MB	Carrollton, Ohio | Carrollton

 

Geneva
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Hannah Dusse	Sr.	MH	Plant City, Fla. | Lakeland Christian
Tess Neville	So.	OH	Lisbon, Ohio | Crestview
Natalie Parra	Jr.	DS	Hurricane, W.Va. | Homeschooled
Samantha Peachey	So.	S	Colorado Springs, Colo. | Liberty
Maggie Townsend	Jr.	OH	Beaver Falls, Pa. | Beaver County Christian

 

Grove City
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Robyn Collier	Jr.	RS	Corona, Calif. | Carnegie Riverside
Anna DeGraaf	So.	MB	Cranberry Township, Pa. | Seneca Valley
Faith Keating	Jr.	OH	Troy, Mich. | Troy
Gabby Lucas	So.	LIB	Butler, Pa. | Butler

 

Saint Vincent
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Carly Augustine	Jr.	S	Latrobe, Pa. | Greater Latrobe
Madie Marsico	Jr.	LIB	Olmsted Falls, Ohio | Olmsted Falls
Luciana Polk	So.	OH	Pittsburgh, Pa. | Mount Lebanon

   

Thiel
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Kylee Eaton	Jr.	OH	Parker, Pa. | Allegheny-Clarion Valley
Courtney Grubbs	Sr.	S	Freeport, Pa. | Freeport
Hailley Kendall	Sr.	DS	Saint Paris, Ohio | Graham
Raquel McDonald	Jr.	MB	Syracuse, N.Y. | Bishop Grimes
Emily Sears	Sr.	DS	Jefferson, Ohio | Geneva

   

W&J
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Lizzie Carmichael	So.	MH	Wyoming, Ohio | Wyoming
Sophia Sacriponte	Jr.	OH	Butler, Pa. | Butler
Claire Sauerland	Jr.	OH	Hollidaysburg, Pa. | Hollidaysburg
Alexis Tomassini	Sr.	S	Gettysburg, Pa. | Gettysburg

 

Waynesburg
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Mya Brooks	Sr.	RS	Lansing, Mich. | Holt
Hannah Buhr	Sr.	OH	Jefferson, Md. | Brunswick
Madisen Dayton	Fr.	OH	Ridgely, W.Va. | Calvary Christian Academy
Alyson Johnson	Sr.	LIB	Raceland, Ky. | St. Joseph Central Catholic
Kayla Stohon	Jr.	MH	Summerhill, Pa. | Forrest Hills

 

Westminster
Name	Yr.	Pos.	Hometown | High School
Becky Adelman	Sr.	OH	Mogadore, Ohio | Waterloo
Malia Duffy	So.	LIB	Allison Park, Pa. | North Allegheny
Samantha Kelly	Sr.	S	Irwin, Pa. | Penn-Trafford
Kaylee Sciubba	Jr.	MH	Tarentum, Pa. | Deer Lakes
Maya Steward	Sr.	OH	Tarzana, Calif. | William Howard Taft