July 23, 2008

PHILADELPHIA - For the second-straight season, the Saint Louis volleyball team has been picked to finish first in the Atlantic 10 Conference's West Division, according to a poll of the league's head coaches released today by the conference office.

After finishing third in the West Division, the 2007 Billikens (23-7, 10-3 A-10) narrowly missed making their second appearance in the A-10 Championship title match by falling to Xavier 3-2 in the semifinals. With 23 wins, Saint Louis achieved back-to-back 20-win campaigns for the first time since the 1998 and 1999 seasons. The 2007 campaign was also the winningest season in Anne Kordes' head-coaching tenure.

Juniors Whitney Roth (Louisville, Ky. / Assumption), the reigning A-10 Setter of the Year, and Sammi McCloud (Columbia, Ill. / Columbia), an All-Conference first-team selection, are among the libero and five starters returning to the SLU squad in 2008. Roth led the A-10 with 13.25 assists per game, while McCloud ranked among the top 10 in kills (3.70) and assists (4.15) per game. The Billiken roster features five freshmen and seven returning letterwinners, five of whom are juniors.

Saint Louis opens the 2008 season on Friday, Aug. 29, when it travels to Oxford, Ohio, to face host Miami (Ohio) in the Best Western/Sycamore Inn Classic at 6 p.m. (CT).