Dayton volleyball picked to win Atlantic 10

The Dayton volleyball team huddles around coach Tim Horsmon after a practice Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016, at the Frericks Center in Dayton. David Jablonski/Staff

The Dayton volleyball team huddles around coach Tim Horsmon after a practice Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016, at the Frericks Center in Dayton. David Jablonski/Staff

The University of Dayton volleyball team is the team to beat in the Atlantic 10 Conference, the league office announced Thursday.

RELATED: Flyers poised for another banner season

The Flyers, the defending conference champs, received nine of 10 first-place votes from A-10 coaches.

UD finished 14-0 in A-10 play last season and also won the conference tournament championship. The Flyers were 30-2 last year.

The Flyers, who are led by three-time setter of the year Jane Emmenecker, libero of the year Margo Wolf and four-time coach of the year Tim Horsmon, are seeking their 12th A-10 title, and the eighth in the last nine years.

VCU was second in the voting, followed by Saint Louis.

The Flyers open the season Friday in the Northern Illinois Holiday Inn Express Invitational in DeKalb, Ill. UD will play Cal Poly (11 a.m.) and Northern Illinois (8:30 p.m.) on Friday, and High Point (1 p.m.) on Saturday.

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