LOCK HAVEN, Pa. (Aug. 14) – The California (PA) volleyball team was selected eighth in the preseason Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) West poll announced by the league office on Thursday afternoon.

The Vulcans finished with a 3-20 overall record last fall and went 0-14 in PSAC West play to rank eighth in the divisional standings.

Gannon was the preseason favorite with four first-place votes after advancing to national quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five seasons. The Golden Knights finished the year with a 26-8 overall record and appeared in the PSAC Championship for the fourth-straight campaign. IUP received three first-place votes and was positioned second in the poll after capturing its second PSAC Championship in program history last fall. Clarion was slotted third in the rankings, while Seton Hill earned the remaining first-place vote and rounded out the top half of the rankings.

In the Eastern Division, Shepherd garnered four first-place votes as the preseason favorite after becoming the first PSAC team since 2009 to register an undefeated record in conference play. East Stroudsburg and Shippensburg both collected a pair of first-place votes and ranked second and third, respectively, on Thursday. Bloomsburg completed the top half of the poll in the PSAC East.

Under second-year head coach Audrey Emerich, the Vulcans open the fall with three matches in Ohio on Sept. 5-6.