Volleyball Predicted To Share ECC's Top Spot With Dowling In 2011

Central Islip, N.Y.-For the second consecutive season, the University of Bridgeport and Dowling College have been predicted to share the top spot in this year's East Coast Conference volleyball standings in a preseason vote of league coaches that was released on Friday.  Both the Purple Knights and the Golden Lions received 56 total points with Dowling getting four first place votes to UB's two.  C.W. Post with 48 points and NYIT with 45 points round out the ECC's predicted top four teams for the 2011 season.

Dowling and Bridgeport were the class of the ECC and the East Region once again in 2010. The Golden Lions and Purple Knights both earned a share of the Regular Season Title after an almost perfect conference season. Both squads lost one conference match apiece, splitting their two contests during the regular season. The two met again in the ECC Championship finals with Dowling coming out on top, 3‐0, to win their sixth conference title in seven years.

At the NCAA Regional, the two teams found themselves in another championship title battle for the second straight season, this time for a trip to the NCAA Elite Eight. Dowling defeated the Purple Knights in three sets once again to secure their fifth East Region crown in five seasons. Dowling then made history, defeating Clarion in the Elite Eight to become the first team from the East Region to ever advance to the Final Four.

Last season, Bridgeport finished the year with an impressive 25-5 overall record.

Head coach Leo Uzcategui's team will open the 2011 season at home on Saturday, September 3 when they host UMass Lowell at 1:00 p.m.

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