NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – The Dayton Flyers have been selected to repeat as the Atlantic 10 Conference champions per the preseason poll and voted on by the league’s nine head coaches. The league announced the preseason poll Tuesday, ahead of the start of the 2021 season on Friday.
Dayton was picked first with 79 total points and seven first place votes, after winning the regular season and championship titles last year. VCU followed closely with 74 total points and two first place tallies. Saint Louis finished third in the poll with 62 points, followed by Fordham (50), Duquesne (37), and Davidson (35), while Rhode Island, George Mason and George Washington rounded out the poll with 34, 19 and 15 points, respectively.
The Flyers finished 8-1 in conference play from the west division, and 14-2 overall in the 2020-21 season, beating VCU 3-0 in the championship final, earning the A-10's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. UD returns an experienced squad headlined by two-time A-10 Player of the Year, Jamie Peterson, along with Amelia Moore, a second-team selection, and Lexie Almodovar and Alayna Yates, who were both named to the All-Rookie squad in 2020-21.
VCU finished 13-5 overall and 7-2 in conference play, also from the west division. The Rams are led by returning seniors Dan Jo David, who averaged a team-best 5.58 assists per set, good for ninth in conference, and Alyna Draper, who led the Rams and ranked sixth in conference in digs with 4.30 per set. Also returning for VCU are the dynamic duo of juniors Sabria Cooper, who supplied a season-high five blocks in the Atlantic 10 semifinals, and Qairo Bentley, who led the Rams with 175 kills and ranked ninth in the Atlantic 10 conference with 2.78 kills per set.
The Billikens are expected to finish third and are led both the offensive and defensive side by seniors Giovanna Charles, Maya Taylor, and Sara Daniels.
The 2021 Atlantic 10 Volleyball Championship will be hosted by Duquesne University on November 19-21 at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh, Pa. The winner of the championship will advance to the NCAA tournament. Every match of the 2021 Championship will be streamed live on ESPN+.
2021 Atlantic 10 Volleyball Preseason Poll
Number in parenthesis indicates first-place votes |
| 1. Dayton |
79 (7) |
| 2. VCU |
74 (2) |
| 3. Saint Louis |
62 |
| 4. Fordham |
50 |
| 5. Duquesne |
37 |
| 6. Davidson |
35 |
| 7. Rhode Island |
34 |
| 8. George Mason |
19 |
| 9. George Washington |
15 |