July 1, 1999

GREENSBORO, N.C. - Clemson was selected as the ACC pre-season favorite in the 1999 Atlantic Coast Conference volleyball season, according to a pre-season poll voted upon by all nine of the ACC head volleyball coaches.

The Tigers gathered 77 of the possible 81 votes in the poll. Clemson returns all six starters, including 1998 ACC Rookie-of-the-Year Jodi Steffes, from last season's fourth place team that finished 22-11 overall, 10-6 in the conference. Clemson won the 1997 ACC Championship title.

Virginia, which was picked seventh in last year's poll with 23 points, was tabbed second after gathering 69 points in this year's poll. The second place prediction can be attributed to four starters returning from last season's team which finished 26-8 overall, 12-4 in the ACC. UVa's 12-4 mark in the conference was good for second place in the ACC. Virginia's 26 victories ranks as the second highest win total ever in a single season at Virginia and was the most wins by the volleyball team at UVa in a season during the 1990's. The Cavaliers 12 ACC victories set a new school-record for the most conference wins in a season, shattering the previous record of seven wins set by the 1997 squad.

Last season, Virginia won both the Pepperdine and Jefferson Cup Tournaments and advanced to the ACC Tournament semi-finals, where UVa eventually lost to tournament champion Florida State. After completing such a successful season, Virginia earned its first ever bid to compete in the NCAA Volleyball Championships. In the schools first-ever NCAA appearance, UVa put up a tough fight before falling 3-1 in the first round to UCLA. All-ACC honors were earned by Claire Folga, Jessica Parsons, and Amanda Wells. Folga and Parsons were both selected to the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) All-District team. Mary Frances Scott joined Parsons and head coach Melissa Aldrich Shelton on the VaSID All-State Volleyball team. Parsons was named the state's Player of the Year and Shelton was tabbed the state's Coach of the Year. Parsons and Scott will look to guide Virginia to another outstanding season in '99.

Georgia Tech (59) and Florida State (52) were chosen third and fourth, respectively. The Yellow Jackets return five starters from last year's 22-13 squad, while the Seminoles look to repeat as ACC Tournament Champions again in 1999. North Carolina collected 46 points, good for fifth place in the poll. The Tar Heels finished first in the ACC regular season last year with a record of 29-8 overall, 13-3 in the conference.

North Carolina, last year's ACC regular season champion, was picked fifth with 46 points. Wake Forest was tabbed sixth with 38 points and Duke was picked seventh after gathering 28 points. Maryland (23 points) edged out N.C. State (13 points) for the eighth spot in the poll. The Wolfpack will look to improve on a 0-16 ACC record from last season.

1999 Pre-Season ACC Volleyball Poll

Rank  School           Points  1998  Record/Finish
  1.  Clemson            77    22-11, 10-6 ACC/T4th
  2.  Virginia           69     26-8, 12-4 ACC/2nd
  3.  Georgia Tech       59    22-13, 10-6 ACC/T4th
  4.  Florida State      52    25-11, 11-5 ACC/3rd
  5.  North Carolina     46     29-8, 13-3 ACC/1st
  6.  Wake Forest        38    21-12,  7-9 ACC/6th
  7.  Duke               28     9-20, 4-12 ACC/8th
  8.  Maryland           23    13-16, 5-11 ACC/7th
  9.  N.C. State         13    11-20, 0-16 ACC/9th