SMC Volleyball Ranked No. 22 in Pre-Season Poll

( complete poll results available at: http://bit.ly/8XqKkh )

SPARTANBURG, SC -- The SMC Volleyball team received good news Wednesday with its selection as No. 22 in the NJCAA Division I Volleyball pre-season poll.  

The Pioneers have participated in the NJCAA National tournament three straight years, after winning the Region 10 Division I title each respective year.

The 2010 team will be made up of 13 new freshmen and two returning sophomores, Jessica Rice (Conway, SC / Conway HS) and Coker College transfer Courtney Nelson (Myrtle Beach, SC / Myrtle Beach HS).  

The Pioneers struggled through their 2009 season, but played well in the Region 10 tournament to win their third straight region title and advanced to the Division I nationals.

"I'm very excited about having such a young team comprised entirely of our own recruits," says second-year coach Susie Williams.

SMC find itself this season as the lone Division I volleyball team in Region 10 and will have to participate in the Region 22 tournament in November in Alabama.

"The 2010 schedule is going to be a very tough one, with multiple competitions planned in Florida and Alabama.  This schedule will make us a stronger team and better prepared for the National Tournament if we are fortunate enough to win the Region tournament," Williams says.

Spartanburg Methodist College has 14 intercollegiate teams that compete in Region X of the National Junior College Athletic Association, which includes colleges in the Carolinas, Virginia and West Virginia.

The College enters its 100th academic year of providing quality education to students in a Christian environment this August. More than 90 percent of SMC graduates continue their education at other institutions of higher learning.

For more information contact Mark Perdue, Athletic Director, at (864) 587-4237.