Dayton Flyers

Flyers Favored In Preseason Atlantic 10 Coaches’ Poll

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Eight-time Atlantic 10 champion Dayton has been tabbed to win its third consecutive Atlantic 10 Conference Volleyball title this fall, in a voting conducted among the league’s head coaches.


After spending the entire 2010 season nationally-ranked in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top-25 Poll, the Flyers made a fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament last year. Fourth-year Head Coach Kelly Sheffield returns three starters among seven letterwinners from a team that went 28-4 overall and a perfect 17-0 against conference competition, while claiming its eighth regular season title and its sixth A-10 Championship crown.

Dayton welcomes back starters senior outside hitter Yvonne Marten, junior outside hitter Rachel Krabacher and junior libero Paige Vargas. Marten is the team’s lone senior and leads all returning players in hitting percentage (.268) and blocks per set (0.89) from 2010. Krabacher was third on the team in kills a year ago (291), averaging 2.75 per set and Vargas paced the Flyers in digs, registering 435 in her 109 sets played.

2010 A-10 Championship runner-up Xavier was picked second in the A-10 Coaches’ Poll, followed by up-start Duquesne in third and 2008 A-10 Champion Saint Louis in fourth. Rounding out the 10-team poll is Charlotte, George Washington, Fordham, Rhode Island, Temple and La Salle.

The six-team A-10 Volleyball Championship will be held at Dayton Nov. 18-20 in the Frericks Center.

The Flyers began preseason practice on Tuesday and will open the 2011 regular season on Aug. 26 against North Dakota in the Green Bay Classic, in Green Bay, Wis. 

2011 A-10 Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll (2010 overall record/A-10 record)

1. Dayton (28-4/15-0) 2. Xavier (20-10/12-3) 3. Duquesne (23-10/9-4) 4. Saint Louis (19-13/11-4) 5. Charlotte (16-15/7-8) 6. George Washington (17-15/6-9) 7. Fordham (17-18/7-8) 8. Rhode Island (14-14/5-10) 9. Temple (4-25/1-14) 10. La Salle (5-26/1-14)