Cambridge, Mass. - UAlbany has been chosen to win its third straight America East Conference Championship, as voted by the league's head coaches and announced by the conference office on Tuesday afternoon. The Great Danes received five of a possible six first-place votes from the head coaches across the league, who were not permitted to vote for their own team.

            UAlbany, winners of seven of the last eight regular-season titles, garnered 35 total points. Stony Brook was picked to finish second with one first-place vote and 29 total points, followed by UMBC, with 24 points and the final vote. New Hampshire finished a point behind the Seawolves in fourth, while Binghamton and Hartford tied for fifth with 15 total points. Providence, an associate member in the sport of volleyball, rounds out the seven-team poll with six points.

            The Great Danes, who have claimed five of the last six America East Tournament crowns, finished 21-9 overall, and 11-1 in conference play after winning at least 20 matches for the seventh straight season. UAlbany returns six letterwinners from last season, including sophomore Samantha Brostrom, an all-rookie selection a year ago. Brostrom is the team's top returner, after averaging 2.78 kills per set along with 2.11 digs per set.