Texas Women's University

DENTON, Texas (July 20) – The TWU volleyball team was picked to finish eighth in the 2010 Lone Star Conference Volleyball Preseason Poll. The voting was conducted among the league’s head coaches, sports information directors and various media representatives.

The Pioneers collected 321 points and edged Southeastern Oklahoma by a point for the eighth spot. The defending LSC Champion, West Texas A&M received 27 first place votes and 584 points and is the top choice to win the title. Abilene Christian collected the remaining 13 first place votes and finished second with 567 points.

Angelo State was third with 487 total points, Central Oklahoma fourth (424), Texas A&M-Commerce fifth (343), Incarnate Word sixth (342) and Midwestern State seventh (336). Southeastern Oklahoma (320), Texas A&M-Kingsville (295), Cameron (242), Tarleton State (221), East Central (145), Southwestern Oklahoma (99) and Eastern New Mexico (74) rounded out the poll.

The Pioneers, who advanced to their seventh consecutive conference tournament last season, will return 10 letterwinners led by five seniors – Kendra Coulson, Alyson Harlan, Launa McClung, LyGene’ Traylor and Sydney Veitenheimer. Harland led the team on offense in 2009 with 273 kills and 38 service aces while Coulson was the leader on defense with 513 digs. Junior Katelyn Osborne finished second in kills (202) and first in blocks with 89 total blocks.

The 2010 season kicks off on September 3 when the Pioneers host the 2010 Holiday Inn Express Hotel and Suites Classic. TWU will take on Henderson State and Arkansas Tech on Sept. 3 and Drury and Harding on Sept. 4.