MELBOURNE, Fla. – Sunshine State Conference volleyball coaches have selected the University of Tampa to repeat as league champions in 2022. With 100 points and 10 first-place votes in the preseason poll, the Spartans are expected to lift the league trophy for the 28th time in program history.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Nova Southeastern University finished tied for second in the ranking with 82 points. However, the Sharks picked up the final first-place vote from conference coaches. Lynn University sits alone in fourth at 68 points, while Palm Beach Atlantic University rounds out the Top-5 after receiving 60 points from league coaches.

Florida Southern settles in the middle of the poll with 58 points and is followed in the voting by Barry University (52 points) and Eckerd College (44 points). Saint Leo University (29 points), Florida Tech (15 points), and Rollins College (15 points) hold the final three positions in the ranking.

2022 SSC VOLLEYBALL SCHEDULE

Tampa paced the league during the SSC regular-season with a 19-1 record to win the program’s 27th conference title. The only team to take down the Spartans in conference play was a Nova Southeastern squad that finished as runners-up at 16-4. Five teams earned passage into the 2021 NCAA Division II South Region tournament. Tampa drew the #2 seed, NSU grabbed the #3 seed, Embry-Riddle and Lynn held positions #4 and #5, while Palm Beach Atlantic garnered the #7 spot. Tampa went on to win the regional, taking down host and #1 seed West Florida, 3-1. With the win, the SSC extended its streak of sending a team to the national quarterfinals to 28 consecutive seasons.

The Spartans earned the top seed and played host to the final eight teams of the 2021 NCAA tournament. UT took down Augusta, 3-1, in the national quarterfinals, and Gannon, 3-1, in the national semifinals. Tampa then capped the season by defeating Washburn, 3-0, to lift the national championship trophy for the fourth time.

SSC teams have reached the national semifinals 23 times, the championship final 14 times, and walked away with the title seven times. Barry and Tampa account for all seven of the conference’s titles.

The 2022 season opens on Thursday, August 25th, with Rollins playing a pair of neutral site matches in Idaho while the remainder of the league gets started the next day. Conference play begins on Thursday, September 8th, with Eckerd hosting Florida Southern and Florida Tech hosting Embry-Riddle. Tampa (No. 5) is the lone SSC representative in the 2021 American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) NCAA Division II preseason poll, which was released on Monday, August 23rd.

Below are the full results of the 2022 SSC preseason coaches’ poll. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their teams (points: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).

 

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