AIKEN, S.C.--The USC Aiken Lady Pacer volleyball team was tabbed fourth in the Peach Belt Conference preseason coaches poll, released Tuesday by conference officials. North Florida, the seven-time defending conference champion, is the unanimous preseason favorite for the fourth-straight year.

UNF, ranked 11th in the AVCA preseason top 25 poll, garnered all seven possible first-place votes (coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team) and accumulated 49 total points. The Lady Ospreys currently have an impressive streak of 49 consecutive regular season conference victories dating back to the 2000 season. Armstrong Atlantic State, who received votes in the AVCA preseason top 25 poll, was a solid second picking up one first-place vote and totaling 42 points.

USC Upstate (formerly USC Spartanburg) was third with 36 total points. USCA came in at number fourth for the second consecutive year. The Lady Pacers appeared third on two ballots, fourth on two ballots, and fifth on the remaining three ballots for a total of 27 points.

Lander was fifth with 23 points while Augusta State and Francis Marion tied for sixth with 19 points. UNC Pembroke rounding out the voting with eight points.

The Lady Pacers, under the direction of fifth-year head coach Will Condon, return four of six starters and seven of 12 letterwinners off the 2003 team that posted a 13-21 record (5-9 PBC) and tied for fifth in the conference.

All-Conference performer Jenny Lloyd will try to duplicate the numbers put up in her record-setting junior season. The outside hitter from Fife, Wash. led the PBC and smashed the school record for kills in a season with 583. She registered 12 matches with 20 or more kills in earning Most Valuable Player honors. Fellow senior Jessica Lane (222 kills and a school record 80 service aces), junior Rachel Dalitz (862 assists and 45 service aces), and sophomore Laura Williams (170 kills and 66 blocks) are also returning starters.

USC Aiken opens the season August 27-28 in Florence, S.C. at the Joseph B. DuRant Invitational hosted by Francis Marion. The Lady Pacers will face Barton College and Carson-Newman on Friday followed by Wingate and Saint Andrews on Saturday.

2004 Peach Belt Conference
Volleyball Preseason Poll

1. North Florida (7)...............................49
2. Armstrong Atlantic State (1)............43
3. USC Upstate....................................36
4. USC Aiken.....................................27
5. Lander.............................................23
t6. Augusta State................................19
t6. Francis Marion...............................19
8. UNC Pembroke..................................8

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