Elmhurst, Ill. (Aug. 25, 2004) ???C Oakland University???s volleyball team has been picked for a seventh-place finish in the 2004 regular season Mid-Continent Conference race according to a poll of the league coaches released today. The Golden Grizzlies totaled 14 points in the poll, trailing UMKC for sixth by seven points and ahead of eighth-place pick Centenary by seven points as well. Oakland finished last season with a 6-21 record overall and went 5-9 in the Mid-Con, the most conference wins for the program since OU joined the league. The Golden Grizzlies finished tied for sixth and were just one win away from a Mid-Con Tournament berth. In his second year at the helm of the team, head coach Dave Schmidlin will have six letterwinners back to try and gain a playoff berth in 2004. Junior middle blocker Heather Lippert (Walled Lake, Mich.) is the team???s leading returning hitter with her .192 mark from a year ago and was also among the league leaders with 84 blocks on defense. Senior Sara Miller (Jackson, Mich.) will anchor the team on the outside; leading the squad a year ago with 211 kills. Junior setter Becca Moller (Columbiaville, Mich.) also returns for OU, placing among the Mid-Con leaders last season in assists (818) and aces (29). Oakland will open the 2004 season at home next week, hosting Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, Sept. 1 at 7:00 p.m. in the Athletics Center ???O???Rena.

2004 Mid-Con Volleyball Preseason Poll   School               Pts.1. Oral Roberts (6)      482. Valparaiso (2)        443. IUPUI                 324. Western Illinois      305. Chicago State         286. UMKC                  217. Oakland               148. Centenary              7