ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- Women's volleyball coaches of the Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference selected junior Riley Anderson as the Preseason Player of the Year and the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford as the Co-Preseason Champions, conference officials announced Tuesday.

"We're honored to again be the preseason AMCC number one ranked team," Head Coach Tom Roof said. "It's a recognition we don't take lightly and we're proud of the fact other coaches recognize where we are as a program. That being said, though, a lot of that is based on how we did last year. This is a new season, we have new people."

A season ago, Pitt-Bradford pulled off a thrilling comeback win at and against top-seeded Penn State-Behrend to claim the AMCC Championship and a trip to the NCAA Tournament -- the program's second in two years.

Down two sets to none, the Panthers faced match point multiple times but fought through to claim the victory.

In this preseason poll, coaches of the AMCC foresee a conference title rematch in 2019 as Pitt-Bradford and Penn State-Behrend share the AMCC's top spot in the poll.

All season long in 2018, Anderson helped pace the balanced Panther lineup doing it all for Pitt-Bradford offensively and defensively.

"It's a nice recognition for Riley and for our program," Roof said. "She's worked extremely hard to get where she is at and, coming off an AMCC Player of the Year season as only a sophomore, we knew she was going to draw a lot of attention. She has to be ready for that challenge and she understands that."

The sophomore was named the Co-AMCC Player of the Year after she led the AMCC with 393 kills, 3.61 kills per set and 1,157 total attacks. 

She also led the conference with 442 points and 4.1 points per set, while her 427 digs ranked fifth-best in the conference, the most digs of any non-defensive specialist/libero in the AMCC.

"Riley is an exceptional student-athlete," Roof continued. "She's an honor student and a conference all-star. She expects the best out of herself and makes everyone around her better. We're excited for her and to see what the future brings."

As a team, Pitt-Bradford finished 20-13 overall and 7-2 in AMCC action, good for third place in the conference.

2019 marks the third-straight season in which the AMCC coaches have selected the Panthers as the preseason favorite. Pitt-Bradford has either won the AMCC Tournament or finished atop the conference regular-season standings three-straight seasons.

"We have to keep going out there and proving ourselves every night, every game," Roof concluded. "Obviously there's a target on our back and we need to be able to handle that. This is a very good league and we have some very tough games on the road. How we respond to those will make the difference."

The Panthers will begin their AMCC title defense with four matches Friday and Saturday in the Virginia Wesleyan Tournament.