BARBOURVILLE — The Union College volleyball team is projected to finish fourth in the Appalachian Athletic Conference (AAC) this season, according to the coaches’ poll.

The AAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll was announced on Friday.

Union went 18-19 overall last season and finished 14-5 in the AAC to wind up fourth in the league standings.

Collecting 164 total voting points, the Bulldogs sit 26 back of third-place Point University (Ga.). Reinhardt University (Ga.) collected all 15 first-place votes in securing the top spot with 225 voting points. The Lady Eagles went 35-8 overall and won the 2018 AAC regular-season title with a 19-0 league record. Reinhardt went on to win the AAC Tournament.

Milligan is tabbed to finish second having garnered 206 voting points.

Among the top returners are senior Maddie Jergesen and sophomore Marissa Davis. Jergesen led the team in blocks with 113 and posted a career-high 282 kills and 108 digs en route to being named All-AAC Second Team. Davis collected All-Freshmen and All-AAC First Team honors after posting a team-best 310 kills with a .219 hitting percentage, 199 digs, and 60 blocks.

Alysse Roosma joins Jergesen as the only senior Bulldogs on the 2019 squad. In her first season donning the orange and black, she logged 165 kills and 75 blocks. Alicia Sikora is the top returning setter for 2018, racking up 476 assists, 199 digs, and a team-high 42 service aces. Haley Ellison is back for her junior season. Used primarily on the back row, she registered 266 digs, 16 assists, and 11 aces.

The league is divided into divisions with seven playing in the North Division and eight in the South Division. The teams making up the North Division are Bluefield, Bryan, Kentucky Christian, Milligan, Montreat, Tennessee Wesleyan, and Union. In the South Division, the teams are Allen, Brenau, Columbia, Columbia International, Point, Reinhardt, St. Andrews, and Truett McConnell.

The top 10 teams in the conference will advance to the 2019 AAC Tournament, which is set for Nov. 13-16 at the MeadowView Marriott Conference Resort & Convention Center.

Union opens the 2019 campaign on Aug. 23-24 at the Mid-South Conference Crossover in Bowling Green, Ky.

The 2019 AAC Volleyball Preseason Poll

Team (1st-Place Votes) – Total Points

1. Reinhardt (15) – 225

2. Milligan – 206

3. Point – 190

4. Union – 164

5. Montreat – 158

6. St. Andrews – 148

7. Bluefield – 127

8. Tennessee Wesleyan – 113

9. Truett McConnell – 109

10. Bryan – 98

11. Columbia International – 81

12. Kentucky Christian – 57

13. Brenau – 52

14. Columbia – 42

15. Allen – 15