Coyotes ranked fourth in the country

   Cal State San Bernardino, with six of its top eight players returning to the fold, finds itself ranked No. 4 in NCAA Division II women's volleyball in a pre-season poll conducted by the American Volleyball Coaches Association.

            The top 25 poll, released today by AVCA, contains four West Coast teams with defending NCAA Pacific Region champion Western Washington listed at No. 10, UC San Diego at No. 22 and Chico State at No. 25.

            Concordia University of St. Paul, Minn., the 2007 NCAA Division II champion, is No. 1 in the pre-season poll and will face off against the Coyotes at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 28 in Coussoulis Arena on the CSUSB campus in the 2008 season opening Coyote Classic tournament.

            The Coyotes volleyball program has been placed in the top 25 pre-season poll virtually every season since the year 2000 and they usually wind up in or near the top 10 at the end of the season. CSUSB (27-3) wound up No. 9 in the final 2007 season poll.

            "It's great to know that we've reached a point where people expect us to be good," said Head Coach Kim Cherniss, starting her 18^th season at the helm of the five-time California Collegiate Athletic Association champions.

            "However, it's not something that will change what we do to prepare for the season or reset our goals," she added. Those goals are to win the conference first, then win the regional and then the national championship.

            One of the Coyotes' other opponents in its Coyote Classic that runs Aug. 28-30 is Lewis University, ranked No. 15 in the pre-season AVCA poll.

            The first official poll is due out Sept. 1.

            CBS College Sports/AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll

Rank   School (1^st place votes)          Points              2007 record    07 Final Rank

1.         Concordia-St. Paul (35)           897                  36-4                 1

2.         Washburn                                 830                  38-4                 3

3.         Truman                                     780                  36-6                 8

4.         COYOTES                              762                  27-3                 9

5.         West Texas A&M                    736                  36-8                 6

6.         Grand Valley State                   716                  33-4                 7

7.         Tampa                                      693                  31-3                 4

8.         Minnesota Duluth                      630                  29-2                 5

9.         Florida Southern                       581                  26-9                 13

10.       Western Washington (1)           555                  26-5                 2

11        .Emporia State                          498                  27-9                 15

12        S'West Minnesota State           474                  26-8                 12

13        Central Missouri                       443                  31-7                 10

14.       Nebraska-Kearney                   416                  33-5                 19

15.       Lewis                                       372                  32-4                 11

16.       Indianapolis                              339                  33-4                 17

17.       Pittsburg State                          320                  28-9                 18

18.       Hillsdale                                   298                  26-8                 16

19        Minnesota State                        248                  19-9                 21

20        Augustana (SD)                        194                  19-11               24

21.       Ashland                                    178                  25-6                 20

22        .UC San Diego                         158                  20-8                 22

23.       West Florida                            99                    26-4                 NR

24.       Nova Southeastern                   81                    28-10               NR

25.       Chico State                              63                    16-13               NR

Others receiving votes included: Hawaii Pacific, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State L.A., Hawaii-Hilo, Northwest Nazarene.