COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.— The reigning Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament title-winning Colorado Mesa University volleyball team received four first place votes and was picked a strong second overall in the 2019 RMAC Preseason Coaches' Poll, which was announced Wednesday by conference officials.

In the poll, the Mavericks received 209 total points in the polling of the conference's 16 head coaches, who each ranked their opponents 1-15 without voting for their own squad.

Defending RMAC regular season champion Colorado School of Mines received nine first place votes and topped the poll with 214 points while Dixie State was selected third out of the conference's 16 teams with 204 points while picking up the other three first place votes.

The Mavericks will return four starters from last year's team that went 24-7 overall while winning a RMAC Tournament title and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Division II South Central Regional Tournament after finishing tied for third in the conference's regular season standings.  Included in that group is 2018 AVCA First Team All-American and 2018 RMAC and South Central Regional Player of the Year Kasie Gilfert and 2018 AVCA All-Region and Honorable Mention All-American Camille Smith, who were CMU's two "Players to Watch" as the RMAC is no longer selecting a preseason all-conference team.

The Mavericks began official preseason practices Wednesday morning and will scrimmage Utah State University-Eastern at 5 p.m. next Wednesday (Aug. 21) in Brownson Arena.  They will begin the regular season on Sept. 6 at the Oredigger Volleyball Classic in Golden and will play their first 11 matches away from home before taking on Westminster on Friday, Sept. 27 at 7 p.m. in their official home opener at Brownson Arena.

CMU's first RMAC match is slated for Friday, Sept. 20 at New Mexico Highlands.