San Antonio - The Trinity volleyball team will open the season ranked 12th in Division III, according to the American Volleyball Coaches Association preseason poll released this afternoon.

Trinity, which finished with a 31-10 record last year, also finished 12th in the AVCA's final poll of the 2008 season.  The Tigers won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference championship for the 11th consecutive season, sweeping DePauw University 3-0 in the conference tournament's championship match.

The SCAC title also guaranteed the team its 17th consecutive appearance in the NCAA playoffs, and Trinity also played host in the Regional Tournament.  The Tigers advanced to the semifinals before being eliminated from postseason play.

Head Coach Julie Jenkins will open her 24th season at Trinity this fall, as well as her 25th season overall as a collegiate head coach.  Jenkins has amassed 672 wins in her career, with 643 of those coming with the Tigers.  Allison Lawrence will begin her first season as an assistant coach for Trinity, coming over from coaching stints with both University of La Verne and Pomona-Pitzer College.  Lawrence was also a four-time All-PAC 10 Honorable Mention player for Oregon State University.

Trinity welcomes back four starters from last year's regional semifinalists, including First Team All-SCAC junior Tayler Malloy, and seniors Ginger Haley, Aly Hazelwood, and Amy Mittelstaedt. 

The Tigers will face seven teams ranked in the preseason top 25 this year, including SCAC schools Southwestern (# 8) and Colorado College (# 18).  Trinity will host ninth-ranked Wittenberg, fourth-ranked Wisconsin-Oshkosh, and No. 2 Juniata in the final weekend of the year at the Trinity University National Invitational.  Also on the schedule are 14th-ranked California Lutheran and No. 3 La Verne.