SOUTHEAST VOLLEYBALL PIKCED TO WIN OVC

Southeast Missouri State University's volleyball team has been picked to win the 1999 Ohio Valley Conference championship.

So what else is new?

The Otahkians are the preseason choice to capture the OVC title just about ever year so the result of the latest poll should come as no surprise.

Otahkian coach Cindy Gannon and her players are getting pretty used to all the preseason hype.

"I expected it," said Gannon. "I think the way we finished the season last year, winning the (OVC) tournament and playing so well against Stanford (in the NCAA Tournament), and with the people we have coming back and the recruiting class we have coming in, I knew people would be looking at us to win the conference.

"When I told the team, there really wasn't much emotion out of them. I think they feel that's the reputation Southeast volleyball has. A few years ago, I think it might have seemed like a lot of pressure. But I don't think it bothers them now."

The Otahkians have certainly earned their reputation, having won five straight OVC titles before finishing third last year but bouncing back to win the league tournament.

Southeast is a near unanimous choice to win this year's championship based on a poll of the league's head coaches. The Otahkians received eight first-place votes and 80 points.

Eastern Illinois, which claimed its first OVC regular-season title in 1998, earned one first-place vote and tied with Tennessee Tech for second place, each with 64 points.

Murray State, coached by former Southeast assistant Dave Schwepker, grabbed the other first-place vote to finish fourth with 63 points.

Austin Peay was fifth (53 points), followed by Morehead State (32), Tennessee-Martin (31), Eastern Kentucky (29), Middle Tennessee (25) and Tennessee State (9).

While Gannon figures her team will be right in the running for its seventh regular-season title in nine years, she knows things will be far from easy.

"There are some strong teams this year," she said. "Eastern Illinois has a new coach but they have a lot of good players back. Dave has done a great job at Murray and they'll be tough. So will Tennessee Tech. The conference will not be easy by any means."

The Otahkians, 24-12 overall and 13-5 in the OVC last year, will be bolstered by the return of six players with starting experience along with a top-flight recruiting class.

Three Otahkians earned preseason first-team all-OVC honors: senior middle blocker Angie Aschoff, senior outside hitter Jackie Derwort and junior outside hitter Krista Haukap. Aschoff was first-team all-OVC last year while Derwort and Haukap both made the second team. Derwort was also the MVP of the 1998 OVC Tournament.

Senior setter Amy Henken, a member of last year's OVC all-newcomer team, made the preseason second squad.

Southeast began practice last week. The season opens Sept. 1 at home against Arkansas State.