BentleyPreseason Video (Courtesy of Pack Network)

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South Easton, Mass. – The Bentley University women’s volleyball team is picked to claim to the 2009 Northeast-10 Regular Season Title as voted by the conference’s head coaches.

The Falcons received five first-place votes and came away with 242 points to earn the top spot in the poll. Bentley finished last season 21-12 overall and 12-2 in NE-10 play. Merrimack College (20-10, 13-1 NE-10) is next after receiving three first-place votes and 235 points. The University of New Haven follows closely in third after receiving a majority of the first-place votes with seven and 231 points. Last season, the Chargers became the first Northeast-10 school to win the regional championship and advance to the NCAA Division II national quarterfinals.

Adelphi University (27-11, 11-5 ECC), in its first year of play in the Northeast-10, is picked to finish fourth after receiving the final first-place vote and 210 points, followed by American International College (12-13, 8-6 NE-10) who rounds out the top five.

Predicted to finish sixth this season is the University of Massachusetts Lowell (15-17, 7-7 NE-10) with 154 points, while Stonehill College (21-11, 8-6 NE-10) follows close behind in seventh with 153 points. Franklin Pierce University (17-18, 8-6 NE-10) is picked to finish eighth with 138 points, followed by Le Moyne College (14-13, 7-7 NE-10) with 127 points and the College of Saint Rose (13-12, 6-8 NE-10) with 122 points to round out the top ten.

In order, the remainder of the poll is as follows; Southern Connecticut State University (24-15, 7-7 NE-10) is picked to finish eleventh with 113 points, followed by Pace University (13-15, 5-9 NE-10) with 93 points, Southern New Hampshire University (9-14, 6-8 NE-10) with 75 points, Saint Michael’s College (12-14, 3-11 NE-10) with 43 points, Assumption College (3-17, 1-13 NE-10) with 38 points and Saint Anselm College (3-19, 0-14 NE-10) with 20 points.

In 2008 the Northeast-10 had three teams advance to the NCAA Tournament including Bentley, Merrimack and New Haven. New Haven advanced to the NCAA Division II national quarterfinals.

Teams will begin their quest for the Northeast-10 championship and a chance for an NCAA bid beginning on Thursday, August 27 as Southern Connecticut and Adelphi face non-conference opponents. The first Northeast-10 match is set for Wednesday, Sept. 2 as Southern Connecticut travels to Saint Michael’s for a 5 p.m. contest.

The Northeast-10 Championship is slated to begin Friday, Nov. 13 with the quarterfinals followed by the semifinals and finals on Saturday, Nov. 14. This year’s championship will be hosted by UMass Lowell. For more information on the upcoming season and for continuous coverage all season long visit the Northeast-10 Conference website at www.northeast10.org.

With 16 member institutions the Northeast-10 shares the distinction of being the largest Division II conference in the country along with the PSAC and WVIAC. Its 23 championship sports provide athletic opportunities for over 5,500 student-athletes, the largest such program of any Division II conference.

- NE-10 -

2009 Northeast-10 Preseason Poll

1. Bentley (5) - 242
2. Merrimack (3) - 235
3. New Haven (7) - 231
4. Adelphi (1) - 210
5. American Int'l - 182
6. UMass Lowell - 154
7. Stonehill - 153
8. Franklin Pierce - 138
9. Le Moyne - 127
10. Saint Rose - 122
11. Southern Connecticut - 113
12. Pace - 93
13. Southern New Hampshire - 75
14. Saint Michael's - 43
15. Assumption - 38
16. Saint Anselm - 20