Dayton welcomes back starters senior outside hitter Yvonne Marten, junior outside hitter Rachel Krabacher and junior libero Paige Vargas. Marten is the teams lone senior and leads all returning players in hitting percentage (.268) and blocks per set (0.89) from 2010. Krabacher was third on the team in kills a year ago (291), averaging 2.75 per set and Vargas paced the Flyers in digs, registering 435 in her 109 sets played.
2010 A-10 Championship runner-up Xavier was picked second in the A-10 Coaches Poll, followed by up-start Duquesne in third and 2008 A-10 Champion Saint Louis in fourth. Rounding out the 10-team poll is Charlotte, George Washington, Fordham, Rhode Island, Temple and La Salle.
The six-team A-10 Volleyball Championship will be held at Dayton Nov. 18-20 in the Frericks Center.
The Flyers began preseason practice on Tuesday and will open the 2011 regular season on Aug. 26 against North Dakota in the Green Bay Classic, in Green Bay, Wis.
2011 Atlantic 10 Volleyball Predicted Order of Finish (2010 overall record/A-10 record)
1. Dayton (28-4/15-0) 2. Xavier (20-10/12-3) 3. Duquesne (23-10/9-4) 4. Saint Louis (19-13/11-4) 5. Charlotte (16-15/7-8) 6. George Washington (17-15/6-9) 7. Fordham (17-18/7-8) 8. Rhode Island (14-14/5-10) 9. Temple (4-25/1-14) 10. La Salle (5-26/1-14)