Coming off a Cascade Conference Championship and a trip to the NAIA National Tournament, the Southern Oregon volleyball team has been picked as the preseason favorites in the annual Cascade Conference Preseason Volleyball Poll.

The Raiders received six first place votes and 95 total points to edge College of Idaho. The Coyotes received four first place votes and finished one points behind the Raiders with 94 points. It's no surprise that the two teams finished so close in the preseason poll. The two teams shared the conference championship last year and the have combined for the last seven regular season titles.

Southern Oregon went 24-4 overall last year and 17-1 in conference play. The Raiders fell in the opening round of the NAIA National Tournament in five sets to Lewis-Clark State.

The Raiders return five starters from last year's squad, including NAIA All-American and All-Cascade Conference selection Leah Bergstrom (West Linn, Ore./West Linn). The senior right-side hitter finished fourth in the conference last year in attack percentage (.292), seventh in kills (2.83) and eighth in total blocks (71).

Senior outside hitter Leanne Stennett (Encinitas, Calif./San Dieguito) also earned All-Conference honors last year and also returns.

The Raiders will also have the services of All-American setter Lindsey Stone (Ashland, Ore./Ashland) after the Ashland High product missed last year due to injury. Stone earned All-American honors in 2007 and 2008 as a sophomore and junior and also earned Cascade Conference Player of the Year honors during that stretch.

Southern Oregon opens the 2010 season next Monday when they host Holy Names at 6:30 p.m. at McNeal Pavilion. The Raiders will then host the Paul Elliott Invitational next Friday and Saturday.