LANCASTER, Pa. – Defending conference and national champion Johns Hopkins has been unanimously selected as the favorite to repeat in the 2021 Centennial Conference Volleyball Preseason Poll. In a vote among the 11 conference head coaches, the Blue Jays secured all 10 possible first-place votes and totaled 100 points to sit atop the poll. 

Franklin & Marshall finished second in the preseason prognostication with 91 points and the other first-place vote. Swarthmore (79), Haverford (72) and Gettysburg (63) were also projected as playoff teams in third through fifth place, respectively. 

McDaniel secured sixth place in the poll with 54 points, followed by Dickinson (45), Muhlenberg (36), Washington College (28), Ursinus (27), and Bryn Mawr (10). 

The 2021 campaign opens up on Wednesday, Sept. 1 with nine of the 11 CC squads in action. All 11 teams will begin their seasons by Friday, Sept. 3. The Centennial Conference Championship is set for Wednesday, Nov. 3 (first round), Saturday, Nov. 6 (semifinals), and Sunday, Nov. 7 (championship), with the No. 1 seed hostinng the semifinals and championship. 

2021 Schedule | 2019 Results | 2019 Championship Results | 2019 All-Centennial Team | 2019 Statistical Leaders | Record Book | AVCA Preseason Poll

In one of the most remarkable seasons in the history of Division III, the 2019 Johns Hopkins volleyball team etched its name in college volleyball lore by becoming just the third Division III team ever to be crowned undefeated national champions, and the first since 1999. Riding a 35-match winning streaking entering this fall, the Blue Jays return a strong core of key contributors that will vie for more glory on the court this season. 

As if the undefeated national championship season wasn't impressive enough on its own, the Blue Jays rolled through their competition in incredible fashion, dropping just eight sets throughout the entire season. That feat included sweeping all 12 matches against CC competition in the regular season and conference tournament. With a 3-0 victory over F&M in the CC Championship, the Blue Jays captured their seventh CC title, and now trail only Gettysburg (11) for the most titles in conference history. 

Hopkins will begin the season near the top of American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Coaches' Top-25 Preseason Poll, as the Blue Jays received 23 first-place votes to earn a sixth-place ranking. Swarthmore and Franklin & Marshall are two of 45 teams receiving votes in the poll. 

Although JHU stole most of the 2019 headlines, the Centennial once again proved to be a well-rounded and deep conference, with seven teams posting overall winning records and eight teams remaining in CC playoff contention into the final weeks of the regular season. The 2019 season marked the sixth time in the last seven years that at least seven CC squads posted .500 records or better. 

A plethora of talent returns to the Centennial this fall, with nine All-Centennial, five All-Region and four All-Americans back on the court. Reigning CC Player of the Year, Mid-Atlantic Region Player of the Year and first team All-America Natalie Aston of JHU headlines the list of returners. Teammate and fellow 2019 first team All-America Simone Bliss is also back for Hopkins. Bliss, who was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2019 NCAA Championship, is a two-time All-American as she also secured third team All-America accolades back in 2018. 

F&M's Allison Franke and JHU's Eleni Panagopoulos are also returning All-America selections. Franke (2019 & 2018 HM) is a two-time All-America pick, while Panagopoulos was named honorable mention in 2019. 

Swarthmore's Sierra Tyson is back after being named the AVCA Mid-Atlantic Region Rookie of the Year and second-team All-CC in 2019. Other returning all-conference standouts include Dickinson's Emma Lange (2019 2nd team), Gettysburg's Zanze Kub-McCoy (2019 2nd team & CC ROY), Haverford's Dina Kosyagin (2019 HM), and McDaniel's Anna Jezerski (2019 HM). 

2021 Centennial Conference Volleyball Preseason Poll