WAC | Seattle U volleyball picked to finish ninth

After wandering the country as a D1 independent, Seattle University finally finds a home in the vastly reconstituted Western Athletic Conference.

In a just-released preseason poll, the WAC coaches pick SU to finish ninth this season. The top eight schools advance to the postseason conference tournament.


Picking the standings in preseason is a real crapshoot, as the WAC is in a wild state of flux. Hawaii has dominated WAC volleyball for more than 30 years, but has now moved on to the Big West Conference. Nevada switched this season to the Mountain West.

Seattle U is one of five new WAC members, including Denver, UT San Antonio, UT Arlington and Texas State. The latter three, all based in Texas, are temporary guests; they've each announced they'll depart next season.

2012 Seattle University Redhawks
-John Aronson for Seattle U

Volleyball fans should mark their calendars for Thursday, September 27. That's when UT San Antonio visits Seattle U. On the UTSA bench will be new assistant coach Sanja Tomasevic, the former Washington All-American who led UW to the 2005 national championship. The Final Four that season was played, coincidentally, in San Antonio.

SU opens its season next Friday in Laramie, Wyoming, with matches against Presbyterian, Eastern Washington, San Francisco, and Wyoming. The Redhawks face UW at Bank of America Arena September 7, then host their home opener Saturday, September 8, at 7 p.m. at the Connolly Center against 26th-ranked Long Beach State.

2012 WAC Preseason Coaches' Poll

Rank	Team (1st place votes)	Points
1	New Mexico State (8)	79
2	Idaho (2)	67
3	UTSA	58
4	Utah State	57
5	Texas State	52
6	Denver	43
7	San Jose State	34
8	UT Arlington	27
9	Seattle U	18
10	Louisiana Tech	15