ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. - The Penn State Altoona women's volleyball team was voted into second place in the 2017 edition of the annual Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference preseason coaches' poll, which was released on Monday.
Defending AMCC champion Pitt-Bradford was voted first in the poll. La Roche College, which tied for third place in last season's regular season standings, was picked to finish third in this year's poll.
Penn State Altoona women's volleyball placed second in the 2016 regular season standings. The Lady Lions went 13-14 overall, including an outstanding 8-1 record in the AMCC. The team reached the conference championship match and also earned a berth into the Eastern College Athletic Conference's Division III Championship Tournament.
Head coach Phil Peterman, who is entering his 10th year at the helm of the Penn State Altoona women's volleyball program, will look to guide his team on another AMCC Tournament run this fall. The Lady Lions' roster includes a deep and talented group of returners who are poised to keep the team on a path of success this fall.
Named as "Players to Watch" for the Lady Lions this season were junior outside hitter Kelsey Bristol (Troy, PA/Troy) and sophomore middle hitter Josie Stovall (Palmyra, PA/Palmyra).
Bristol was a first team All-Conference selection last season. She ranked third in the AMCC in kills (300), kills per set (3.09), points (347.0), and points per set (3.6). Bristol was also fifth in the conference in service aces (38) and aces per set (0.39), while finishing sixth in digs (451) and digs per set (4.65).
Stovall was a third team All-AMCC pick last year. She was 12th in the conference in points (236.5), 14th in points per set (2.4) and solo blocks (13), 15th in kills (181), 16th in hitting percentage (.195), kills per set (1.87), and total blocks (48), and 17th in block assists (35).
Penn State Altoona women's volleyball begins its 2017 schedule on Friday, September 1, when it will compete in the two-day Gettysburg College Battlefield Classic. The Lady Lions' home opener is set for Tuesday, September 5 at 7:00 p.m. against non-conference opponent Shenandoah University, and the team's first AMCC matches are on Saturday, September 23 against D'Youville College and Pitt-Bradford in Buffalo, N.Y.
