Florida State, the winner of two of the last three and three of the last five Atlantic Coast Conference volleyball league titles, was tabbed as the preseason favorite in a vote by the league’s 15 head coaches.
The Seminoles accumulated a total of 187 out of a possible 196 points. First-place votes were awarded 14 points, second place received 13 points, etc. Coaches were not allowed to include their own team in their predicted order of finish.
Florida State narrowly surpassed second place Duke (181 points) and third place North Carolina (180), while Miami (151) and Louisville (123) rounded out the top five. Virginia’s 113 points placed it ahead of NC State (106), Syracuse (105), Pittsburgh (103) and Virginia Tech (93). Notre Dame (85), Clemson (53), Georgia Tech (40), Wake Forest (39) and Boston College (16) completed the poll.
A total of 11 teams are represented on the 2014 Preseason All-ACC Team. Duke and Florida State lead all conference schools with three selections apiece, followed by Louisville, Miami, North Carolina and Virginia with two selections each. NC State, Notre Dame, Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech all have one selection.
Twelve of the 19 selections were voted to the 2013 All-ACC Team. The squad features AVCA Third Team All-American and 2013 ACC Player of the Year Sklar, along with six others that were named Honorable Mention All-America by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
Florida State returns four starters from last year’s team that earned a 26-7 overall record and a 17-3 mark in league play. The Seminoles were defeated by national runner-up Wisconsin in the third round of the NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship.
2014 ACC Volleyball Predicted Order of Finish
No. Team (First Place) Points 2013 Record (Conference)
1 Florida State (7) 187 26-7 (17-3)
2 Duke (4) 181 28-5 (18-2)
3 North Carolina (4) 180 27-5 (16-4)
4 Miami 151 19-12 (12-8)
5 Louisville 123 23-8 (18-0)
6 Virginia 113 18-14 (11-9)
7 NC State 106 20-12 (11-9)
8 Syracuse 105 16-16 (11-9)
9 Pittsburgh 103 19-14 (11-9)
10 Virginia Tech 93 22-12 (10-10)
11 Notre Dame 85 13-18 (7-13)
12 Clemson 53 15-16 (9-11)
13 Georgia Tech 40 12-20 (6-14)
14 Wake Forest 39 16-16 (5-15)
15 Boston College 16 9-23 (1-19)
2014 Preseason All-ACC Team
Name Class Position School
Emily Sklar Junior Outside Hitter Duke
Jeme Obeime Senior Outside Hitter Duke
Maggie Deichmeister Senior Setter Duke
Nicole Walch Junior Outside Hitter Florida State
Katie Mosher Senior Libero Florida State
Sarah Burrington Sophomore Middle Blocker Florida State
Katie George Junior Setter Louisville
Janelle Jenkins Sophomore Outside Hitter Louisville
Savanah Leaf Senior Outside Hitter Miami
Emani Sims Senior Middle Blocker Miami
Paige Neuenfeldt Junior Middle Blocker North Carolina
Chaniel Nelson Senior Opposite Hitter North Carolina
Jeni Houser Senior Middle Blocker Notre Dame
Dariyan Hopper Senior Outside Hitter NC State
Silvi Uattara Junior Outside Hitter Syracuse
Jess Wynn Sophomore Outside Hitter Pittsburgh
Lauren Fuller Junior Setter Virginia
Jasmine Burton Sophomore Outside Hitter Virginia
Kathryn Caine Senior Middle Blocker Virginia Tech
The Sports Inquirer 
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