Preseason Volleyball polls tab Buffalo fourth in East, Cassie Shado All-MAC East

Collegiate Volleyball starts up this weekend, and the MAC today revealed their preseason polls. As has been a running joke around these parts, UB was selected fourth in the MAC East, above Bowling Green and Akron, though closer to both than to third-place Ohio.

Buffalo finished fourth in the East in 2015, 6-10 in the MAC and 7-22 overall before advancing to the MAC Tournament where they lost their first-round game to Ball State. If this year's poll holds true, UB will once again be in a battle for the final spot or two in the MAC Tournament.

In happier news, Cassie Shado, UB's junior middle blocker, was named Preseason All-MAC East alongside three Golden Flashes and one student-athlete each from Bowling Green, Miami, and Ohio. Shado was eighth in hitting percentage and led the conference in blocks per set in 2015. Alongside Megan Lipski, she was named All-MAC Honorable Mention after earning a spot on the MAC All-Freshman Team in 2014.

Hat tip to Paige, who got both fanshots of both the poll and Shado's recognition up quickly this morning. I felt they deserved a full post of their own. The full poll and preseason teams are reproduced below:

MAC East Division (first place votes) - points
1. Miami (9) - 68
2. Kent State (1) - 57
3. Ohio (2) - 55
4. Buffalo - 31
5. Bowling Green - 28
6. Akron - 13

MAC West Division (first place votes) - points
1. Northern Illinois (11) - 71
2. Western Michigan (1) - 58
3. Ball State - 43
4. Central Michigan - 37
5. Eastern Michigan - 25
6. Toledo - 17

2016 MAC Regular Season Champions: Miami (9), Kent State (1), Northern Illinois (1), Ohio (1)

2016 MAC Tournament Champions: Miami (5), Northern Illinois (4), Kent State (2), Western Michigan (1)

2016 Preseason All-MAC East
Jelena Sunjic, Bowling Green
Cassie Shado, Buffalo
Kelsey Bittinger, Kent State
Challen Geraghty, Kent State
Katarina Kojic, Kent State
Paige Hill, Miami
Jaime Kosiorek, Ohio

2016 Preseason All-MAC West
Mackenzie Kitchel, Ball State
Jordan Bueter, Central Michigan
Taylor Robertson, Central Michigan
Jenna Radtke, Northern Illinois
Lauren Zielinski, Northern Illinois
Sydney LeMay, Western Michigan