Bridgeport (North) And Jefferson (South) Sit Atop 2023 CACC Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll

Bridgeport, Conn.-The University of Bridgeport women's volleyball team has been selected to top the standings of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference's North Division in a poll if league coaches released on Wednesday.

UB, under the direction of head coach Gary Mullin, went 12-6 in conference play last season, and the Purple Knights (14-19 overall record) advanced to the semifinals of the CAA Championship Tournament.

Bridgeport will open its 2023 season with tri-match at Southern Connecticut State University along with Kutztown University on Friday, September 1 beginning at 5:00 p.m.

The team will open its home and conference slates in Hubbell Gym on Wednesday, September 13 when the Golden Falcons of Felician University come to the Park City.

Take a look at the complete 2023 CACC Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll released on Wednesday below:

New Haven, Conn.-University of Bridgeport and Thomas Jefferson University were picked first in their respective divisions in the 2023 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll, as announced on Wednesday by Commissioner Dan Mara. The Purple Knights were tops in the North with 63 points and nine first-place votes, while Jefferson topped the South with 64 points and an equal nine first-place nods. The voting for the poll was conducted by the league's 12 head coaches in the sport.

Jefferson enters the 2023 campaign as the two-time defending CACC Champion, and defeated UB in last season's semifinals to advance to the tournament final where the Rams knocked off Bloomfield College.

Rounding out the top three in the North included Post University (2nd, 46 pts) and Dominican University (3rd, 43 pts, 1 1st vote). The second and third-place teams in the South included Holy Family University (56 pts, 2 1st votes) and Wilmington University (42 pts, 1 1st).

The 2023 regular season gets underway on Thursday, Aug. 31, as it will be a buildup to the CACC Volleyball Championship Tournament from Nov. 14-19. The quarterfinals will be staged on Tuesday the 14th at the sites of the highest seeds, with the semifinals and final to be held on Saturday-Sunday, the 18th-19, at Georgian Court University in Lakewood, N.J. The winner of the tournament will earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division II East Region Tournament, which will be contested the first weekend in December at a site to be determined.

2023 CACC WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL

North Division

1. University of Bridgeport 63 (9)
2. Post University 46
3. Dominican University 43 (1)
T4. Bloomfield College 33 (2)
T4. Caldwell University 33
6. Felician University 27

South Division

1. Thomas Jefferson University 64 (9)
2. Holy Family University 56 (2)
3. Wilmington University 42 (1)
4. Georgian Court University 34
5. Chestnut Hill College 33
6. Goldey-Beacom College 17

() - First-Place Votes

ABOUT THE CACC

The Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference is an NCAA Division II Conference composed of 12 institutions in Connecticut, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania. The member institutions are Bloomfield College, University of Bridgeport, Caldwell University, Chestnut Hill College, Dominican (N.Y.) University, Felician University, Georgian Court University, Goldey-Beacom College, Holy Family University, Post University, Thomas Jefferson University, and Wilmington University.