Tampa Enters Season as Sunshine State Conference Favorites

MELBOURNE, Fla. - Sunshine State Conference volleyball coaches have picked the University of Tampa to repeat as league champions in 2024. With 100 points and 10 first-place votes in the preseason poll, the Spartans are expected to lift the league trophy for the 30th time in program history.

Lynn lands in second with 88 points, while Nova Southeastern takes third with 72 points and the final first-place vote. Embry-Riddle sits alone in fourth at 70 points, while Florida Southern rounds out the Top-5 after receiving 65 points from league coaches. Eckerd holds the middle position in the poll with 58 points, followed by Barry with 52 points in seventh. Rollins (39 points), Palm Beach Atlantic (28 points), Florida Tech (17 points), and Saint Leo (16 points) hold the final four positions in the ranking.

2024 SSC VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE

Tampa captured SSC title number 29 with a 19-1 conference record in 2023. The Spartans were followed in the league standings by Lynn (15-5) and Embry-Riddle/Florida Southern (13-7). After a competitive conference season, the SSC earned six bids in the 2023 NCAA Division II South Region tournament. Tampa, Lynn, Embry-Riddle, Eckerd, Florida Southern, and Nova Southeastern received seeds one through six, respectively. Tampa went on to win the regional, topping Lynn 3-0 in the finale.

With UT's regional title, the SSC extended its streak of national quarterfinalists to 30 consecutive seasons. The Spartans drew the #1 seed in the 2023 NCAA tournament Elite Eight and bested Bentley, 3-1, in the quarterfinals. The Spartans then fell to #4 West Texas A&M in the semifinals. SSC teams have reached the national semifinals 24 times, the championship final 14 times, and walked away with the title seven times. Tampa (4) and Barry (3) account for all seven of the conference's titles.

Last season, the league boasted 15 AVCA All-Americans, the most since volleyball became a league sport in 1983. Nadia Lindner (NSU), Mackenzie Dufresne (UT), and Nathaly Perez (UT) earned First Team nods. Former National Player of the Year Diana Akopova (BU) was tabbed second team, while Emily Edwards (Lynn) and JJ Ramirez (UT) took home Third Team. Nine women from seven different programs earned Honorable Mention.

The 2024 season opens on Thursday, September 5th, with Lynn on the road in Manchester, New Hampshire. The remaining 10 schools begin their seasons in tournament action the next day. Conference play starts on Tuesday, September 24th, with PBA hosting Barry and Florida Tech hosting Rollins.

Below are the full results of the 2024 SSC preseason coaches' poll. Coaches cannot vote for their teams (points: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).

 2024 SSC WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL

See Also: All-SSC Teams | SSC National Champions |SSC Champions | 2022 SSC Standings

Previous SSC Volleyball Polls