Redhawks tabbed to win West

The Southeast Missouri State volleyball team is expected to continue its resurgence this year.

Southeast, coming off its first 20-win campaign since 2007, has been picked to repeat its first-place finish in the Ohio Valley Conference West Division.

The OVC released its preseason poll Wednesday, with voting done by the league's coaches and sports information directors.

Southeast, which finished second overall in the 12-team OVC last year, nabbed 16 of a possible 24 first-place votes and 124 total points.

Austin Peay was picked second in the West Division after earning the remaining eight first-place votes and 107 points. Eastern Illinois (99 points), SIU Edwardsville (62), Tennessee-Martin (61) and Murray State (38) round out the West.

Defending OVC tournament champion Belmont, third overall in the league a year ago, was tabbed the East Division favorite with 17 first-place votes and 127 points. Three-time defending OVC regular-season champion Morehead State picked up seven first-place votes and 116 points to be selected second in the East.

Tennessee State (88 points), Jacksonville State (66), Eastern Kentucky (58) and Tennessee Tech (35) round out the East.

"We are honored to be picked at the top of the West Division but we know that the entire conference will be tough from top to bottom," third-year Southeast coach Julie Yankus said in a release. "After losing only one starter from last season and returning our all-OVC performers, we feel our preseason pick will be an attainable goal.

"We know it will be another competitive OVC schedule and we will have to fight to earn that top spot at the end of the season."

Yankus has quickly revived the once-proud Southeast program that had fallen on hard times.

The 2012 Redhawks went 21-13 overall and 12-4 in league play to win the OVC West, then lost to Belmont in the conference tournament semifinals.

Yankus' inaugural Southeast squad in 2011 earned a fourth-place OVC finish and its first conference tournament berth since 2008 , going 14-19 overall and 12-9 in league play.

Southeast returns five starters among eight letterwinners, including three selections to the 14-player all-OVC preseason team in senior outside hitter Colleen Yarber, senior middle blocker Emily Coon and senior setter Julie Shives.

Yarber and Coon were all-OVC selections following the 2012 campaign.

"I'm so proud of our players for getting recognition so early in the season," Yankus said.

Southeast opens the season Aug. 30 at the Mississippi State tournament.