Capital Starts Volleyball Season This Weekend
>>2006 Capital Invitational Schedule
Capital University’s volleyball team starts the 2006 season this weekend, Friday, September 1 and Saturday, September 2, hosting the Capital Volleyball Invitational.
The tournament line-up includes Heidelberg College, Allegheny (Pa.) College, West Liberty State (W.Va.) College, DePauw (Ind.) University, College of Wooster and Otterbein College. Admission is $5 for adults, $1 for kids and free for OAC students with a valid ID. Matches begin at 3 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. on Saturday.
The Crusaders are coming off a record-breaking 2005 campaign in which they won a school-record 32 matches, claimed the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Championship and appeared in the NCAA Tournament.
Head coach Pam Briggs returns six starters as Capital was picked second, right behind No. 12 in the nation Ohio Northern University, in the OAC preseason coaches’ poll.
Returning starters for the Crusaders include OAC Player-of-the-Year junior middle hitter Jessie Hampson (Lancaster/Lancaster) and All-OAC performers in seniors outside hitter Jordan Centers (Norwalk/Norwalk St. Paul) and libero Marie Zumberger (DeGraff/Fairlawn).
Other starters returning are junior Jackie Helm (Lancaster/Fisher Catholic), senior Heather Kwiatkowski (Fremont/Clyde) and sophomore Kara Guster (Orrville/Orrville).
OAC Coaches’ Preseason Poll (First-Place Votes)
1. Ohio Northern (7) –77
2. Capital (3) –74
3. Baldwin Wallace –68
4. Otterbein –55
5. Muskingum –50
6. Mount Union –36
7. Heidelberg –34
8. John Carroll –27
9. Marietta –20
10. Wilmington –9