Carthage tabbed as Continental Volleyball Conference Preseason favorite

MILWAUKEE - In the first Continental Volleyball Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the Carthage Red Men led all vote getters with 97 points and seven of the ten first-place votes. Carthage finished their 2011 campaign with a 23-11 record, a Midwest-III Volleyball Conference title and a third place finish at the Molten Invitational.

The Juniata College Eagles, the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (EIVA) Hay Division winner in 2011, is predicted for a second place finish accumulating 92 points and also garnered three first-place votes. The University of California-Santa Cruz (UCSC) with 81 points is tabbed to place third in the conference, followed by Thiel (58) and MSOE in fifth place (57). Rounding out the conference, Philadelphia Biblical is slotted sixth, followed by Stevenson, Eastern Mennonite University (EMU), Fontbonne University and the College of Mount St. Joseph.

The conference will begin competition in 2012, consisting of East and West Divisions. The East Division will be comprised of EMU, Juniata, Philadelphia Biblical, Stevenson and Thiel. Carthage, Fontbonne, MSOE, Mount St. Joseph and UCSC will form the West Division.

Each division plays eight games within the division with the top three teams from each side advancing into the six-team Continental Volleyball Conference Tournament April 13-14, to be held in Greenville, Pa. The first round games will place the West second place team against the East third place team and the East second seed facing the third seed of the West. The winners advance into Saturday semifinals against the division winners, followed by the title match set for a 5 p.m. start. The winner will be crowned league champion and receive the automatic bid into the first ever NCAA Division III Championship for men’s volleyball.

Official CVC Preseason Poll

	Total	1^st place
	Points	Votes
Carthage	97	7
Juniata	92	3
UCSC	81
Thiel	58
MSOE	57
Stevenson	49
PBU	47
EMU	31
Fontbonne	26
MSJ	12