After winning 11 consecutive conference championships, Penn State University is once again expected to win the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association.
Penn State received five of the six first-place votes to finish in first place in the EIVA Tait Division Preseason Poll released Tuesday.
The Nittany Lions have five of their seven starters returning from last season's team — including four All-Americans, libero Dennis Del Valle, setter Edgardo Goas, middle attacker Matt Lipstiz and outside attacker Will Price. Penn State lost to the University of Southern California in the NCAA semifinals and finished the 2009 season 27-4 with two victories against Ball State University.
Ball State will play Penn State this upcoming season on Feb. 19 in University Park, Pa., and on April 1 at Worthen Arena.
Along with Penn State, St. Francis University finished in second place in the conference preseason poll. The Red Flash, which were eliminated in the EIVA semifinals last season, received the other first-place vote that did not go to the Nittany Lions.
Rounding out the poll, Juniata College was predicted to finish in third place, Princeton University was predicted to finish in fourth place and George Mason University and Springfield finished tied in last place.
The amount of votes each team received was not released.
Rutgers-Newark University also received four of the five first-place votes to finish in first place in the EIVA Hay Division Preseason Poll. The Hay Division consists of five Division III teams.
In addition to its non-conference matches against Penn State, Ball State will play St. Francis, George Mason and Rutgers-Newark each twice this upcoming season.
In the last two seasons Ball State is 9-8 against EIVA teams with five of those loses coming against Penn State. Ball State spilt the two-match season series against St. Francis and George Mason and won both matches against Rutgers-Newark last season .
EIVA Preseason Poll
Tait Division
1. Penn State (5)
2. St. Francis (1)
3. Juniata
4. Princeton
5. George Mason
5. Springfield
Hay Division
1. Rutgers-Newark (4)
2. New Jersey Institute of Technology
3. Havard
3. New York (1)
5. Sacred Heart
Parentheses indicate first-place votes
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