LACEY, Wash. – Under the first official season for Saints' head coach Dan Behnke, SMU volleyball was selected ninth overall in the GNAC Coaches' Preseason Poll on Monday.
 
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Despite this counting as Behnke's first season at the helm, the Saints saw him and his squad in action last spring, starting with a five-set victory over Seattle Pacific. The Saints played in six matches on the shortened season, giving invaluable experience to a younger squad, and a new coaching staff.
 
Three-time defending GNAC Champion Western Washington narrowly edged out Alaska Anchorage for the preseason favorite. Both teams received five first place votes, with the Vikings outpacing the Seawolves 95 to 92 points.
 
Central Washington (73 points), Alaska (66), Seattle Pacific (56), and Simon Fraser (54) made up the middle of the pack. Northwest Nazarene (47), MSU Billings (35), Saint Martin's (21), and Western Oregon (11) wrapped up the standings.
 
Entering 2021, the Saints return key veterans, to mess with a younger core. Senior Emily Gooding, and Junior Kylie Alos look to provide leadership for a team that features 15 underclassmen. Returning from injury, Gooding played in all 25 sets in the spring, finishing second in kills (40), and third in blocks (9). Alos, who had a standout 2019 campaign, split libero duties in 2020, playing in 18 sets, with 2.11 digs per set.
 
Kylie Coon looks to build on a promising six matches in 2020, where she emerged as the Saints' top outside hitter. Over the 25 sets, Coon ranked first on the team in kills (74), kills per set (2.96), total attacks (204), and was second in aces (7). Her strongest performance came against Division-I opponent California Baptist, where Coon collected 12 kills in three sets, with a .346 hitting percentage, and two blocks.
 
Other notable returners include middle blockers Gracie Brenner and Maddy Gooding, setter Analise Hitchcock, and libero Giselle Benetti. Brenner moved positions from outside hitter to middle blocker in 2020, along incomer Gooding, the two combined for 29 blocks, and 50 kills to revamp the middle for SMU.
 
Along with Gooding, Hitchcock will be listed as a freshman in 2021, but was able to play in the shortened 2020 spring season. Hitchcock played in all 25 sets, leading the team with 133 assists, or 5.32 assists per set, and five aces. Benetti saw an increase in playing time in 2020 at the libero position, collecting a team-leading 94 digs or 3.92 digs per set over 24 sets.
 
Saint Martin's will add four incoming players in 2021, who will be joining the roster for the first time. The Saints begin the season on the road in Montana against MSU Moorhead on Friday, September 3 at 8:00 AM PST.