WATCH: 2016 CAC Volleyball Preseason Webcast

YORK, Pa. – After three straight perfect conference seasons and championships, Christopher Newport was once again selected to reign supreme in a vote among CAC volleyball head coaches. The Captains received eight first-place votes and 80 points to land atop the poll.

Salisbury (71 points, 1 first-place vote) and Mary Washington (67 points, 1 first-place vote) each received one first-place vote to finish second and third, respectively, in the poll. Marymount ranked fourth with 56 points, followed by Frostburg State (45 points) and St. Mary's (43 points).

Rounding out the preseason poll were York (36 points) in seventh, Southern Virginia (21 points) Wesley (19 points) and Penn State Harrisburg (12 points).

Christopher Newport continued its run of perfection again CAC opponents last year, claiming its third straight CAC title with an unbeaten record against conference foes. Including postseason matches, the Captains have secured a 32-0 record against CAC competition since joining the league in 2013.

The Captains defeated Salisbury in the championship match for the third year in a row to earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Mary Washington also represented the CAC in NCAA's, with UMW falling to Case Western in round one and CNU dropping a 3-2 decision to Randolph-Macon in round two.

The 2016 campaign opens up  for six of the 10 squads on Thursday, Sept. 1. The CAC playoffs are scheduled for the first week in November, culminating with the championship match on Saturday, Nov. 5.

Here is a brief look at each team heading into the 2016 season:

CHRISTOPHER NEWPORT won its ninth straight league championship, and third consecutive CAC crown, while making a run to the second round of the  2015 NCAA Tournament. In 2016, head coach Lindsay Birch's team features three starters returning from last year's team, including a pair of All-Americans. Briana Sutton, a first-team All-American in 2015, and Hannah Miller, a first-team pick in 2014, will help anchor the veteran portion of the roster.

FROSTBURG STATE has plenty of momentum as it heads into the 2016 season and it's not hard to see why for sixth-year head coach Becky Fletcher. The Bobcats have increased their win total in each of the last four seasons and Fletcher returns a wealth of talent from last year's CAC Tournament team. Leading the charge at the net will be junior Naya Cheatem who finished third in all of NCAA Division IIII with 607 kills last fall. Those kinds of numbers will put her in the All-American discussion after she earned AVCA All-Region honors as a sophomore. Handing out the assists will be third-year starting setter Madelyn Torres after she was 11th nationally last fall with 1,298 assists. On defense, junior Lindsey Scepura is coming off a record-setting year that saw her post 729 digs.

MARY WASHINGTON will look to challenge for the CAC title this season, after last year's season culminated in the NCAA Tournament. Heading the returnees for UMW are all-region senior Emma Olson, and all-conference picks Rachel Hendricks and Leslie Walters. UMW lost just two players to graduation, with other key returnees Jenna Yost, Caroline Porco, Casey Spanitz, and Ryan Cho adding veteran leadership to a talented group of newcomers.

Graduating just two seniors, MARYMOUNT gets set for a hopeful season on the court with plenty of experience led by a senior class of three that has been in the rotation since their freshman year. Returning two-time All-CAC outside hitter Emileigh Rettig and last year's league leader in total blocks and blocks per set, Cailyn Thomas, the Saints aim for their fifth-straight winning season and contend for the program's first CAC title in program history.

PENN STATE HARRISBURG starts the 2016 season with a new look as Angela Burkett has taken over as the head coach for the Lion's. Harrisburg will look to returning libero Kari Ammerman to lead a team that will be very young. Other key returners include setter Casey Stump and outside hitter Melissa Orlandini.

Head coach Justin Turco and SALISBURY enter the 2016 season returning all three all-conference players from a season ago from a team that went 24-8 and made it to the CAC championship game. The three returners from the All-CAC team are headlined by Katie Stouffer who found her way onto the first team for the third-straight year, in addition to numerous other accolades the outside hitter collected. Jordan Lawson and Rachel Pierson both found their way onto the All-CAC team for the first time as each received second-team honors. Lawson returners for her senior season following a 95 kill season in 2015, where she also added 20 blocks. Pierson was the Gulls' top setter last season, picking up 834 assists, good for fifth in the CAC.

After a building year in her first season, SOUTHERN VIRGINIA second-year head coach Nicole Gwynn enters the season with high hopes for a run at the post-season. Returning for the Knights are Hannah (Phillips) Hosier and Allison Tiegs, who led the team in kills and attacks last year. A new class of incomers also bring a great energy to the team, which is excited for a great season.

WESLEY returns five from last year's roster including three-year captain Beth Schlecker and Tionne Graves-Brown, who set the program's single-season kills record in 2015. The Wolverines brought in a large freshman class that will have to acclimate quickly if they intend to knock off their CAC rivals and earn their first CAC Playoff appearance since joining the conference in 2007.

YORK head coach Tim Bonitz features one of the youngest teams in the CAC as the Spartans will look to qualify for the six-team conference tournament for the first time since 2012. Bonitz will build around a core of sophomores as Brooke Krebs and Eryn Brady give the Spartans a dynamic one-two punch. Bontiz is also very excited about a large freshman class, many of who he expects to earn significant time in the York rotation.

2016 CAC Volleyball Preseason Poll