HAMBURG, N.Y. – The Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference released the 2021 Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll today, and the nine league coaches picked Penn State Behrend to repeat as conference champions in 2021.  Coaches expect that Pitt-Bradford will finish in the second spot and Penn State Altoona will round out the top three.

Hilbert College's head coach Calvin Crosby will guide the Hawks when they return to action this September.  He beings this second year mentoring the women's volleyball program but due to the COVID-19 pandemic that canceled the fall 2020 season, Crosby officially begins his first NCAA season on the hardwood with the women's program.  
 
Penn State Behrend senior middle hitter Kristin Reiland was voted the AMCC Preseason Player of the Year after closing her second year of athletic competition as the AMCC Co-Player of the Year in 2019.

Hilbert's academic-senior and outside hitter Jessica Cruz-Jackson and academic-junior/outside hitter Casandra Thompson were mentioned in the Players to Watch section of the poll; Cruz-Jackson has yet to compete for the Hawks in NCAA action, but she excelled at Niagara Country Community College for two seasons before transferring last fall.  Thompson has grown into her role as a leader who brings stability as she begins her second collegiate season of competition

The AMCC Championship tournament begins November 3rd with the top six team's moving into post-season play.  The No. 1 seed will host the AMCC Championship Tournament November 6th - 7th and the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament will go to the winner of the title game on Sunday.