Golden Bears Selected Fifth in CCC Preseason Coaches Poll
Western New England hosts WPI in 2016 season opener on Thursday night
CCC Poll Release/Video
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (August 29, 2016) – The Western New England University volleyball team has been projected to finish fifth in the 2016 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Preseason Coaches Poll, which was released today by the league office.
Western New England received 62 points in the poll, which is voted on by all ten head coaches in the CCC. Defending conference champion Roger Williams was selected as the preseason favorite, collecting eight of the ten first place votes and 98 total points. Endicott College (84 points) edged out Gordon College (83) for second place by one point, with both programs earning one first place tally. Salve Regina finished just ahead of the Golden Bears with 63 points, while the University of New England (54), Wentworth (37), Curry (31), Eastern Nazarene (22) and Nichols (16) rounded out the final five spots.
Western New England had another successful season last fall, going 14-13 (5-3 CCC) and reaching the CCC Tournament semifinals for the fifth consecutive year. Heading into the 2016 campaign, the Golden Bears will be seeking their first trip to the CCC finals since 2009 under new head coach Samantha Shomo, a 2011 Western New England graduate.
Despite losing two-time All-CCC first team selection Olivia Lathrop (Farmington, Conn.) to graduation, Western New England returns one of the top players in the conference in junior middle hitter Carly Skibinski (Milford, N.J.). Skibinski, an All-CCC second team selection last season after earning honorable mention recognition as a freshman, ranked in the top-10 in the CCC in kills per set (2.55, T-8th), hitting percentage (.234, 6th) and blocks per set (0.63, 6th) in 2015.
Skibinski will serve as Western New England's co-captain along with senior setter Jenna Leuck (Dumont, N.J.), who averaged 3.65 assists per set last season and has recorded 1116 assists over the course of her career. Also returning for the Golden Bears is junior outside hitter Alona Kornberg (Fair Lawn, N.J.), who ranked fourth on the team in kills per set (1.35), tied for second in digs per set (2.28) and first in service aces per set (0.56, 4th in CCC) as a sophomore last fall.
Western New England opens the season at home against Worcester Polytechnic Institute next Thursday, September 1, before hitting the road for a pair of matches at Mount Holyoke on September 3. The Golden Bears open CCC play at Curry on September 20.
