NEW ORLEANS, LA (8/15/02) - The Sun Belt Conference has released its preseason volleyball coaches poll and all-conference team, which places North Texas second in the West Division and has junior standout Corina Marginas listed as a unanimous selection on the preseason team.

The Mean Green was issued two first place votes and 52 points by the leagues coaches, while New Mexico State was given 63 points and eight of the 11 first-place votes handed out in the West Division. Florida International was picked to win the East Division with 52 points and nine first-place votes. North Texas was only one point away from eliminating FIU in last year’s conference tournament. The Golden Panthers won the 2001 Sun Belt Conference Tournament and picked up the league’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win.

The Mean Green were picked to finish fifth in the West Division according to last year’s preseason poll, but finished third with a 7-8 conference record and received a first-round bye at the conference tournament. North Texas returns all but one letterwinner from last year, including two-time unanimous First Team All-Conference selection Corina Marginas (Jr.; OH; Brasov, Romania) and the leagues 2001 Newcomer of the Year Kristin Sheppard (Jr.; S; Texarkana, Tex.).

Marginas was one of four players picked as a unanimous selection to this year’s Sun Belt Conference Preseason Team. Marginas was also named to the league’s 2001 preseason all-conference team. Just a junior, Marginas already holds the North Texas school record career kills with 1,050 and finished last season ranked 15th in the nation in kills with a 4.81 per game average. Marginas recorded a school-record 594 kills last season and her 4.81 kills per game ranked No. 1 in the Sun Belt Conference.

2002 Sun Belt Conference Preseason Poll
East Division
1. Florida International, 52 points (9 first place votes)
2. Arkansas-Little Rock, 40 points (1 first place vote)
3. Western Kentucky, 34 points
4. Middle Tennessee, 24 points (1 first place vote)
5. Arkansas State, 15 points

West Division
1. New Mexico State, 63 points (8 first place votes)
2. North Texas, 52 points (2 first place votes)
3. Denver, 41 points
4. Louisiana-Lafayette, 29 points (1 first place vote)
5. New Orleans, 25 points
6. South Alabama, 18 points

2002 Sun Belt Conference Preseason All-Conference Team
KeKe Deckard, Middle Tennessee, 5-9, So., OH
*Nirvana Kos, Florida International, 6-2, Sr., OH
*Clarice Laires, Louisiana-Lafayette, 6-0, Sr., MB
*Corina Marginas, North Texas, 6-1, Jr., OH
Sara Noe, Western Kentucky, 5-7, Sr., S
*Morgan Reader, New Mexico State, 5-10, Jr., S
Ivana Vrakar, Arkansas-Little Rock, 6-2, So., OH
Bojana Vulin, Arkansas-Little Rock, 5-11, So, OH
*Unanimous Selection

Preseason Player of the Year: Nirvana Kos, FIU