NORFOLK, Va. (August 9, 2017)-The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) released its preseason volleyball poll on Wednesday afternoon and Morgan State was picked to finish third in the MEAC Northern Division as voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
 
Howard and Florida A&M were picked as the preseason favorites in the northern and southern divisions, respectively. Khaila Donaldson of Howard was selected as preseason player of the year.
 
The defending MEAC champion Lady Bison of Howard garnered 22 first-place votes and 172 points to receive the top spot. Howard recorded a 26-6 overall record last season, including a perfect 12-0 MEAC mark. The Lady Bison would capture their second consecutive conference title and advanced to their second straight NCAA Championship appearance.
 
Donaldson, the tournament's Most Outstanding Player last season, led Howard in points (508.5) and kills (436, 3.89 per set). Setter Tamia Dockery returns for her junior season and joins Donaldson on this year's Preseason All-MEAC Team. Dockery led the conference in assists last season with 1,061 (9.65 per set).
 
Maryland Eastern Shore was picked to finish second in the MEAC Northern Division, receiving three first-place votes. Morgan State was predicted to finish third, followed by Hampton, Norfolk State, Coppin State and Delaware State to round out the division.
 
Florida A&M received 20 first-place votes after posting an undefeated 10-0 record in the MEAC Southern Division and a 17-12 overall mark last season. The Lady Rattlers boast three members of the 2017 Preseason All-MEAC team: reigning MEAC Co-Rookie of the Year Nicole Abreu, as well as sophomore outside hitter Maria Yvette Garcia and junior libero Valentina Carrasco.
 
Bethune-Cookman nabbed five first-place votes en route to being picked to finish second. The Lady Wildcats are led by reigning MEAC Co-Rookie of the Year Alana Handy, who is on the Preseason All-MEAC Team alongside senior middle blocker Rakaya Neely.
 
North Carolina A&T State and North Carolina Central were chosen to finish third and fourth, while Savannah State and South Carolina State were slated fifth and sixth, respectively.
 
Last season the Lady Bears were picked to finish third in the northern division and tallied a 7-21 overall mark and went 7-5 in the MEAC North, which was good for third-place. Morgan State returns eight letterwinners, including five starters from last year's team. In addition, the Lady Bears will welcome six newcomers this year.

Under the direction of head coach Ramona Riley-Bozier, who is entering her 30th season at the helm, the Lady Bears open up the 2017 campaign on the road in Greensboro, N.C. in the Spartan Spiketacular (Aug. 25-26) hosted by the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Morgan State takes on Wake Forest in the season opener on Friday, Aug. 25, before concluding the tournament on Saturday with matches against the host Spartans and the University of Massachusetts Lowell.
 
The 2017 MEAC Volleyball Championship will be held Nov. 17-19 at the W.P. Hytche Athletic Center on the campus of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, Md.
 
The MEAC Media Relations office contributed to this release.

2017 MEAC Volleyball Preseason Predicted Order of Finish
(first-place votes in parenthesis)
 
 Northern Division
1. Howard (22), 172 pts.
2. Maryland Eastern Shore (3), 152 pts.
3. Morgan State, 105 pts.
4. Hampton, 101 pts.
5. Norfolk State, 87 pts.
6. Coppin State, 43 pts.
7. Delaware State, 40 pts.
 
Southern Division
1. Florida A&M (20) 145 pts.
2. Bethune-Cookman (5), 126 pts.
3. North Carolina A&T State, 98 pts.
4. North Carolina Central, 76 pts.
5. Savannah State, 44 pts.
6. South Carolina State, 36 pts.

2017 MEAC Volleyball Preseason Team
Preseason Player of the Year: Khaila Donaldson, Howard
 

Name	Pos.	Cl.	School	Hometown
Alana Handy	OH	So.	Bethune-Cookman	Burlington, Wash.
Rakaya Neely	MB	Sr.	Bethune-Cookman	Lake Wales, Fla.
Nicole Abreu	OH	So.	Florida A&M	Lima, Peru
Maria Yvette Garcia	OH	So.	Florida A&M	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Valentina Carrasco	L	Jr.	Florida A&M	Lima, Peru
Khaila Donaldson	OH	Sr.	Howard	Vernon Hills, Ill.
Tamia Dockery	S	Jr.	Howard	Richmond, Texas