Southern Oregon Predicted to Repeat In Close Race
CORVALLIS, Ore. – After a tight finish for both the regular season and tournament Cascade Collegiate Conference Championships last year, it seems 2019 might have more in store. On Thursday, Southern Oregon University was named the preseason favorite in the 2019 preseason volleyball coaches’ poll, just edging out Eastern Oregon University by four votes.
The Raiders, who last year shared the regular-season crown with EOU but won the tournament championship, finished with a 29-5 overall 2018 record (17-3 CCC) and advanced to the NAIA quarterfinals. Coming into this year, SOU grabbed 115 total points and six first-place votes to sit in the top spot of the poll. The Mountaineers, who finished the year at 25-9 overall and 17-3 in the conference, sit in second place with 111 total points and four first-place votes.
It was a close race between the top three spots with the College of Idaho garnering 100 points and one first-place vote. The Yotes also advanced to the NAIA tournament and finished the year with a 24-10 overall, 16-4 CCC record.
Rounding out the top five were Corban University and Northwest University, with 85 and 68 points, respectively. The Evergreen State College (No. 6, 63 points) and Oregon Tech (No. 7, 61 points) were just separated by two points.
Northwest Christian University picked up 46 points to sit in eighth, while Warner Pacific University (39 points) and Multnomah University (37 points) respectively came in at ninth and 10th. Walla Walla University completed the poll with 11 points.
CCC action sets off on Sept. 4 after the 11 teams compete in non-conference matches to begin the new season.
Following the regular season, the conference postseason tournament is slated to begin on Nov. 12 with the first round at higher-seeded campus sites. The semifinals and final will play out Nov. 15-16 at the site of the regular-season champion. It has a single-elimination format, featuring the top six finishers in the regular-season standings.
2019 CCC Volleyball Coaches’ Preseason Poll
Team (First-place votes) Points 2018 CCC Record 2018 Overall Record
1. Southern Oregon University (6) 115 17-3 29-5
2. Eastern Oregon University (4) 111 17-3 25-9
3. College of Idaho (1) 100 16-4 24-10
4. Corban University 85 15-5 23-13
5. Northwest University 68 12-8 16-14
6. The Evergreen State College 63 10-10 12-18
7. Oregon Tech 61 7-13 12-15
8. Northwest Christian University 46 5-15 12-17
9. Warner Pacific University 39 8-12 10-16
10. Multnomah University 37 3-17 6-23
11. Walla Walla University 11 0-20 0-21
The NAIA volleyball preseason poll will be released August 14.