LOS ANGELES – Cal State LA's women's volleyball team has been picked to finish second in the California Collegiate Athletic Association South Division in a preseason poll of conference coaches released on Wednesday.
Cal State San Bernardino was a unanimous pick to win the South Division (coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team) and the favorite to win the conference title for a fourth straight season with 12 first-place votes and 67 points. Cal State LA was picked second in the South and received the other first-place vote in the division and 55 points. UC San Diego and Cal State San Marcos were tied for third with 35 points, Cal Poly Pomona was fifth with 33 points and Cal State Dominguez Hills was sixth with 12 points.
San Francisco State was a narrow pick to win the North Division with Stanislaus State a close second. The Gators received six first-place votes and 65 points, while the Warriors picked up three first-place votes and 62 points. Cal State Monterey Bay got one first-place vote and 46 points, Cal State East Bay was fourth with two first-place votes and 44 points, Chico State and Sonoma State were tied for fifth with 43 points and Humboldt State was seventh with 12 points.
The top four finishers in each division will qualify for the CCAA Tournament. This year, the conference champion will be determined by winning percentage of conference matches, while the conference tournament winner will received the CCAA's automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs.
The tournament seeding will also be different. The top four in each division will still advance, but the seeding will be done by winning percentage. The tournament will be held at Cal State San Bernardino on Nov. 21-23.
The Golden Eagles are seeking their fifth straight CCAA Tournament bid after qualifying for the tourney in each of the first four seasons.
Third-year head coach
Juan Figueroa will lead the program after leading the Golden Eagles to an outstanding 22-6 record in 2018. That was Cal State LA's 22
nd consecutive winning season and the Golden Eagles reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2010.
On Tuesday, the Golden Eagles were ranked 19
th in the national preseason poll by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
Cal State LA will open its 2019 season at Palm Beach Atlantic's Bash at the Beach. The Golden Eagles will face No. 10 Tarleton State, No. 15 Palm Beach Atlantic, No. 6 Minnesota Duluth and Adelphi in the two-day tourney.
The Golden Eagles will then host the three-day West Region Volleyball Showcase on Sept. 12-14 and play four matches over the three days against teams from the PacWest and Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
The Golden Eagles will begin conference play on Saturday, Sept. 21 at home against Cal State Dominguez Hills at 5 p.m.
2019 CCAA Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll
Overall 2019 champion: Cal State San Bernardino (12 votes)
| NORTH |
| Rank |
Institution |
Points (Divisional champion votes) |
| 1. |
San Francisco State |
65 (6) |
| 2. |
Stanislaus State |
62 (3) |
| 3. |
Cal State Monterey Bay |
46 (1) |
| 4. |
Cal State East Bay |
44 (2) |
| T5. |
Chico State |
43 |
| T5. |
Sonoma State |
43 (1) |
| 7. |
Humboldt State |
12 |
| SOUTH |
| 1. |
Cal State San Bernardino |
67 (12) |
| 2. |
Cal State LA |
55 (1) |
| T3. |
Cal State San Marcos |
35 |
| T3. |
UC San Diego |
35 |
| 5. |
Cal Poly Pomona |
33 |
| 6. |
Cal State Dominguez Hills |
12 |
