The University of Massachusetts Boston women’s volleyball team is seen as the favorite to win the Little East Conference championship crown for the upcoming season, making the Beacons the first team in the 12-year history of the preseason coaches’ poll to win all eight first place votes.

The Beacons had a record-setting 2010 season as head coach Terry Condon led the team to a 30-5 overall record and a 7-0 conference record, tying the program record for most wins in a season. The players also made it to the Elite Eight of the national championship tournament – another first for the volleyball program.

Looking ahead at the season, junior Shannon Thompson says that while there are many expectations, she is ready for the challenge. “It’s something that you do with every year,” said Thompson, who hails from Moorpark, California. “It’s just going to push us forward this year.”

Thompson is a two-time All-America and was the 2010 Little East Offensive Player of the Year. She finished last season with 494 kills. “We keep building the program every year,” she said. “It gets better and better.”

Also making an appearance on the hardwood this year is Dorchester native Molly Rattigan, a senior. “We’re going to go out and play our own game this year,” she said. “We’re going to do our own thing.”

Rattigan, a resident of the Ashmont area and a graduate of Fontbonne Academy, is studying business and said that she would like to one day work for the Boston Celtics – a goal she is going to pursue upon graduation. “I know it might to take a while to get there, but that’s just what it takes.”