GEORGETOWN, Texas – Last season's Co-SCAC Coach of the Year Hannah Long enters her 12th season at the helm for the Pirate volleyball team and has a loaded roster aimed at returning to the NCAA Championship for the 10th time. 

All three first-team All-SCAC selections – Kaitlyn Foster, Macey Pool and Kirby Kincannon – return this year for Southwestern. Foster, a senior outside hitter from San Antonio ranked in the top 10 in the conference in almost every offensive and defensive category. Pool, a senior outside hitter from Spring, Texas, ranked just behind Foster in kills and digs despite battling injury late in the year. Kincannon, a sophomore middle blocker from Lake Jackson, Texas, ranked third in solo blocks, fifth in block assists and fourth in total blocks last season. 

Joining the tough front line are three other seniors with a ton of experience. Defensive specialist and outside hitter Kaitlyn Corbett, right side Abbie Robb and middle blocker Olivia Drummond provide a deadly arsenal for setters Nikki Welch and Sydney Rochelle. Junior defensive specialist Andie Alford secures the back line for a Southwestern team that was tops in the nation in total digs and second in the nation in digs per set last season.

The Pirates have been picked to finish tied for second with Trinity in the SCAC and received 35 votes on the national stage in the AVCA Preseason poll, placing them just outside the top 25.

Southwestern opens the season on September 1, facing Concordia Texas at 7 p.m. in Austin. Fans won't have to wait long to see the Pirates at home, as SU hosts a tournament September 4-5 in the Robertson Center.