The Valparaiso volleyball squad has been predicted to finish third in the Horizon League in 2010, as chosen by the league’s nine head coaches.  The Crusaders tallied 49 points, finishing just four points out of the second position.

Each of the coaches ranked the teams one through eight, omitting their own squad from the voting.  Teams received eight points for a first-place vote down to one point for an eighth-place vote.

Milwaukee received the maximum eight first-place votes, adding up to 64 points to earn preseason league favorite honors.  Cleveland State (one first-place vote, 53 pts.) followed just ahead of the Crusaders, while Butler (48 pts.) was tabbed fourth.  UIC (34 pts.) was picked in the fifth position, with Loyola (23 pts.), Green Bay (22 pts.) and Wright State (21 pts.) sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively.  Youngstown State (10 pts.) rounded out the polling.

Valpo returns nine letterwinners, including five starters, from a 2009 squad that finished second in the league standings, and also brings in eight freshmen to complement the returning nucleus.  The Crusaders’ season starts in two weekends with four games over a two-day stretch August 27-28 in Philadelphia.