LANCASTER, Pa. – Franklin & Marshall has been chosen as the favorite in the annual Centennial Conference Volleyball Preseason Poll voting among the 11 conference head coaches. The Diplomats secured nine first-place votes and 98 points to land atop the voting. 

Three-time defending champion Johns Hopkins received the other two first-place votes and totaled 90 points to place second in the poll. McDaniel (79) edged Swarthmore (78) for the third spot, while Gettysburg (61) was picked fifth. 

Muhlenberg and Haverford tied for sixth place in the voting with 51 points apiece, followed by Washington College (32), Dickinson (29), Ursinus (26), and Bryn Mawr in seventh through 11th, respectively.  

The 2019 campaign begins on Friday, Aug. 30. The Centennial Conference Championship is set for Wednesday, Nov. 6 (first round), Saturday, Nov. 9 (semifinals), and Sunday, Nov. 10 (championship). 

2019 Schedule | 2018 Results | 2018 Championship Results | 2018 All-Centennial Team | 2018 Statistical Leaders | Record Book

Johns Hopkins captured its sixth Centennial title in the past eight seasons last fall after sweeping past Swarthmore in the semifinals and McDaniel in the championship match. The Blue Jays moved into a tie for second-place in Centennial history with their sixth conference crown, joining Franklin & Marshall (6) and Gettysburg (11) as the only programs with six or more conference championships. 

JHU and F&M both advanced to the NCAA Tournament, marking the second-straight year and sixth time in conference history that multiple teams qualified for the national championship tournament. The Blue Jays swept Eastern in round one before falling to Bowdoin in the second round, while the Diplomats were knocked off by SUNY New Paltz in the opening round. 

A ton of talented players are back in the Centennial this fall, as 14 of the 20 all-conference performers from 2018 return to the court, including six AVCA All-America selections - JHU's Simone Bliss and Louisa Kishton, F&M's Grace Maggiore and Allison Franke, and Swarthmore's Mehra den Braven and Emma Morgan-Bennett. 

Bliss headlined the 2018 All-Americans, as she earned third team honored from the AVCA as an outside hitter. Kishton, a 2017 second team All-America pick, received honorable mention recognition as an outside hitter last fall. Maggiore, a setter, returns as the reigning Player of the Year in the Centennial, as she became the sixth F&M player to win the conference's top award last fall after leading the Diplomats to the regular season title. Franke, a middle hitter, collected Rookie of the Year honors last year and joined Maggiore as an honorable mention All-America selection. The Swarthmore duo of outside hitter den Braven and middle blocker Morgan-Bennett return for the Garnet as honorable mention All-America honorees from last fall.

2019 Centennial Conference Volleyball Preseason Poll