Tuesday August 16, 2005
Sunbirds #2 in NAIA preseason poll; GSAC claims three of top five spots

If the NAIA preseason poll is any indication, the rest of the country expects big things from the volleyball teams of the Golden State Athletic Conference this season.

The GSAC has five teams listed in the top 25, including three in the top five.

California Baptist, the 2004 NAIA national champion , received 12 of 13 first place votes and tallied 324 points for the top spot.

The Sunbirds, 36-3 and a national quarter-finalist last season, garnered 311 points for second spot. Concordia, Irvine, the 2004 NAIA national runner-up, is fifth with 281 points.

The GSAC's Azusa Pacific is ranked 17th (105 points), followed by Biola at No. 24 (35 points)

Columbia (Missouri), who gained one first place vote, was third with 294 points. National American (SD) was fourth with 284 points.

The Sunbirds open the 2005 season with their annual Meet The Team Night on Monday, August 22.

The Sunbirds will host Cal State Stanislaus for a scrimmage on Tuesday, August 23 (2:00 p.m.), then officially begin the 2005 season by hosting the 22nd annual Sunbird Invitational August 26 and 27.

Fresno Pacific University offers undergraduate and graduate programs that stress solid academic preparation and a strong ethical foundation. Each year more than 2,000 traditional and adult students attend classes on the 42-acre main campus in southeast Fresno or centers in Visalia and Bakersfield. The university also reaches 12,000 students across the nation and around the world through professional development studies programs. The only four-year Christian university in the Central Valley, FPU is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and ranked in the top quarter among Western universities master's category by U.S. News & World Report.