Georgetown, TX – The Southwestern Pirates ranked 9th in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division III Coaches Preseason Poll. The team not only broke the Top 10, but the Pirates would also be one of the three SCAC teams to make the Top 25 Teams in Division III list along with Colorado College (3rd) and Trinity University (11th).
Head Coach Don Flora comments "It is always a good sign to be recognized for the effort the athletes put in toward making this team an elite national program."
The Pirates have been nationally ranked 142 times in the program's history in the AVCA, as well as securing a place in the Top 10 for Division III some 36 times. The Pirates, along with Trinity University and Colorado College, are the only teams in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) to break the Top 10. With the Pirates ranked second under Colorado College, the upcoming season will have competitive play in SCAC conference games.
"We are pleased with this level of respect from the coaches around the country. Now we need to get to work and put in the time and the repetitions to reach new heights within this program in this 2018 season. We feel good about this group becoming an elite team during this upcoming 2018 season," Flora says.
The Pirates will kick-off the season at the Pacific Coast Classic Aug. 31 – Sep. 01, hosted by Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, Pomona-Pitzer and University of La Verne.