Salem, VA (08-25-00) -- The Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) released its 2000 preseason coaches' polls for its fall sports Friday. Guilford's men's soccer team was picked seventh and the Quakers' women's soccer and volleyball teams were both tabbed eighth in polls picked by each sport's head coaches.

The Quakers' men's soccer team returns 10 letter winners from last year's 9-10 unit, which won a school-record four league games and reached the quarterfinals of the ODAC Tournament. Head coach Liam Behrens lost two first team All-ODAC players from the 1999 squad, but welcomes back five starters, including junior midfielder Noam Sorek (Atlit, Israel/Ort Kiriat Bialik). Sorek scored 13 points last season, tops among returning players. Guilford opens the season September 2 at home versus Methodist.

Guilford's women's soccer program begins a new era September 2 when it meets Methodist in the Greensboro College/TSI Soccer Fall Classic. Forrest Collier, a 1995 Guilford graduate, begins his first season as the Quakers' head coach after assisting the club for four seasons. He returns nine letter winners from last year's 6-13 team (4-7 ODAC), including junior forward Amy Evans (New Bern, NC/New Bern). Already the Quakers' career scoring leader with 83 points, Evans is the defending ODAC scoring champion and a two-time All-ODAC selection.

Coach Chuck McCracken returns seven players from his 1999 volleyball club, which finished 3-21 (3-8 ODAC) and reached the ODAC Tournament for the eighth time in nine years. Middle hitter Marigny Johnston (New Orleans, LA/Metairie Park Country Day) is the club's lone senior. The Quakers are counting heavily on their six-member freshman class and open the 2000 campaign September 1 in Richmond, IN, at a tournament hosted by Earlham College, McCracken's alma mater.