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North Greenville after coming up one set short last season of repeating as ConfCarolinas championship is once again the favorite to win the conference title.
The Crusaders received all but one of the first-place votes to finish atop the ConfCarolinas preseason coaches poll that was released on Friday.
North Greenville won the conference regular season title last season but suffered a five-game upset loss to King in the ConfCarolinas Tournament finals. Four All-ConfCarolinas starters return for the Crusaders, including first-time all-conference outside attacker Diego Rosich.
Along with these returning starters, pin-hitter Gregory Torres returns after missing last season. Torres as a freshman in 2022 was in the nation’s top 30 with a 3.49 kills per game average.
North Greenville received 49 votes in the preseason poll and finished 10 votes ahead of second-place Erskine. Erskine was the only other school to receive a first-place vote.
The defending ConfCarolinas champions King finished in third place, while Belmont Abbey rounded out the top half of the poll.
The ConfCarolinas season will begin in February and conclude with the six-team conference tournament in April. The winner of the ConfCarolinas Tournament will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
2024 ConfCarolinas Preseason Poll
1. North Greenville – 49 (7) points
2. Erskine – 39 (1) points
3. King – 36 points
4. Belmont Abbey – 35 points
5. Mount Olive – 24 points
T-6. Barton – 17 points
T-6. Lees-McRae – 17 points
8. Emmanuel – 7 points