August 12, 1999

VILLANOVA, PA. - With three weeks until the start of the 1999 season, the Big East announced its volleyball coaches poll today as four-time defending conference champion Notre Dame led the way, receiving 119 points and nine of the 12 first place votes. Defending regular season co-champion Georgetown finished second in the voting, while Connecticut finished third.

"The top three teams in the pre-season poll are obviously going to be the teams to beat this year," said coach Hoehn. "As for the rest of the conference, it will be very similar to last season, every match will be a difficult one and each team has a chance."

As for the Wildcats, they were picked ninth, coming off a 12-16 season in head coach Heather Hoehn's first season. Villanova is led by senior setter Stacey Moline and junior Breen Eddinger. Moline (Sagle, Idaho/Sandpoint H.S.), a 1996 Big East all-rookie team selection, has been plagued by injuries in her last two seasons. Last year, Moline recorded 359 assists and 52 digs before tearing her right anterior cruciate ligament versus Rice. Eddinger (Tacoma, Wash./Bellarmine Academy) returns as the Wildcats' digs and kills leader, tallying 236 and 384, respectively, a year ago.

"I will be looking for our captains to lead on and off the court, to do that, we couldn't have chosen a better pair of student-athletes," said coach Hoehn. "Moline and Eddinger have the ability and intensity to set the standard for the rest of the team."

Villanova begins the season with a match against Maryland and then travels to participate in the Virginia Tech Invitational and Texas Christian Tournament. The Wildcats' first home match will be Sept. 14 versus Bucknell, at Jake Nevin Fieldhouse.

1999 Big East Volleyball Coaches Preseason Poll 1998 Records Rank School Points Big EastOverall 1. Notre Dame (9) 119 9-2 18-13 2. Georgetown (3) 112 10-1 24-6 3. Connecticut 96 10-1 22-11 4. Pittsburgh 90 5-6 16-14 5. Rutgers 83 6-5 16-14 6. West Virginia 71 6-5 13-15 7. St. John's 52 5-6 19-15 8. Syracuse 49 3-8 19-13 9. Villanova 36 4-7 12-16 10. Seton Hall 34 3-8 11-16 11. Boston College 22 0-11 12-19 12. Providence 18 5-6 16-14