Dec. 29, 2008

ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis (29-5, 13-0 Atlantic 10) volleyball finished the 2008 season ranked No. 21 in the final Bison/AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll after posting one of its best seasons in program history.

SLU became the first team to go unbeaten in A-10 competition since 1997, capturing the outright regular-season crown for the first time in school history. It was the second time in the last three seasons that the Billikens had gained at least a share of the regular-season title. The Billikens posted a historic win over then-No. 3 Stanford early in the season that put them in the national spotlight, and on Oct. 20 earned its initial ranking in the Bison/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll. SLU went on to seize the A-10 Championship crown for its second NCAA Tournament berth since 2006.

Saint Louis entered the postseason as the No. 13 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The Billikens defeated Alabama A&M in the opening round for the program's first NCAA Tournament victory. SLU established a school record with a 21-match win streak, which at one point was the second-longest streak in the nation.

Individual accolades came in droves for the Bills in 2008. SLU nearly swept the individual A-10 awards as junior Sammi McCloud became the program's first A-10 Player of the Year, junior Whitney Roth was awarded her second straight Setter of the Year honor and head coach Anne Kordes picked up Coach of the Year honors for the second time since 2006. Additionally, junior Bridget Fonke went on to earn A-10 Championship Most Outstanding Player accolades. Saint Louis also paced the Northeast Region with a league- and program-record four All-Region selections, with McCloud earning the program's first All-America honor with her selection to the third-team.