PRESEASON POLL RELEASE
OGDEN, Utah (August 15, 2016) - After putting together its best season in school history, Northern Arizona was picked to repeat as Big Sky Champions in the 2016 volleyball coaches’ preseason poll.
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team in the poll, which was released Monday by the league office.
The Lumberjacks were highly favored, picking up nine first-place votes and 119 out of a possible 121 points in the voting. NAU experienced a huge breakthrough under third-year head coach Ken Murphy in 2015, rolling to the regular season title with a 15-1 league record and defeating all three opponents in straight sets during the league tournament. Overall, the ‘Jacks went 28-5 on the year and fell to San Diego in its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1999.
NAU lost a pair of historic standouts in 2015 MVP and All-America honorable mention selection Janae Vander Ploeg and two-time Big Sky first teamer Payton Bock. The Lumberjacks do however return setter Jensen Barton, one of three returning All-Big Sky first team selections across the league, and second team choice Lauren Jacobsen. Both were instrumental in NAU hitting .264 as a team last season, which ranks seventh in Big Sky single season history. Barton was fourth in the league in assists in 2015, Jacobsen led the league in service aces and is also the top returner for the Big Sky in kills (3.21/set) and double-doubles (14).
Northern Colorado was slotted second with 104 points and a single first-place vote. After bowing out of the first round of the Big Sky tournament last season, the Bears will look to rebound and gear towards what would be their fifth title in the past eight tournaments. Like NAU, head coach Lyndsey Oates returns a first team setter in Ashley Guthrie that ranked fifth in assists overall last season and second during conference action. Guthrie, along with three other returning starters, will look to guide a UNC offense that ranked third in kills and assists overall and returns Timarie Nymeyer, the league leader in hitting percentage as a sophomore in 2015.
North Dakota earned the remaining two first-place votes, and was picked third with 99 points. The Fighting Hawks made their fourth straight tournament appearance since joining the Big Sky, but were defeated by Idaho for the first time in a five-set thriller. Mark Pryor brings back a pair of second team selections in outside hitter Chelsea Moser and middle blocker Faith Dooley. Moser and Dooley each ranked in the top 10 of the league in hitting percentage while underclassmen teammates Courtney Place (10th, kills) and Sydney Griffin (third, assists) also ranked in the top 10 of their respective categories. Dooley, the 2014 Freshman of the Year, also ranked fourth in blocking on the way to her second consecutive BSC second team nod.
Idaho State ranked fourth in the poll with 86 points. The Bengals went 13-3 in league play on the way to their fourth straight Big Sky Championship appearance, where they fell to NAU 3-0. ISU lost two huge contributors including 2014 Big Sky MVP Tressa Lyman and Makenzie Filer, a duo that combined for five first team selections. Second-year coach RIck Reynolds does however bring back the last returning first teamer in the Big Sky, setter Hayley Farrer, and second team selection Bailey Bars at outside hitter. Farrer ranked second in the league in assists as a junior.
Sacramento State followed in fifth with 79 points. Ruben Volta was named Big Sky Coach of the Year after leading the Hornets to 26 victories, an 18-win improvement from 2014 that was the best turnaround of any Division I team in the nation. Sac State went 12-4 in Big Sky play and won its first tournament match since 2007 before falling to eventual champion NAU in the semifinals. The Hornets return a pair of second team choices in 2016, including Big Sky assists leader Kennedy Kurtz at setter and middle blocker Madeline Cannon, who ranked fourth in hitting percentage.
Idaho was picked sixth in the poll with 68 points. The Vandals prevailed over a contested Big Sky north division to earn the No. 2 seed on the way to their first league tournament win since returning to the conference. Head Coach Debbie Buchanan brings back three starters on a youthful roster that includes 11 underclassmen and just one senior.
Portland State earned 60 points to sit seventh. The Vikings’ youthful team missed the Big Sky tournament for the first time under head coach Michael Seeman, but return its core of young players with five starters including Freshman of the Year Jenna Mullen.
Rounding out the poll was Eastern Washington (8th, 51 points), Weber State (9th, 44), Southern Utah (10th, 40), Montana State (11th, 23) and Montana (12th, 19).
The 2016 season begins August 26 and conference play opens September 22. The top eight teams will advance to the 2016 Big Sky Championship. The top eight will be decided by overall conference winning percentage, regardless of division. The two division winners will get the No. 1 and 2 seeds in the tournament.
The Big Sky Championship will be November 17-19 and will be hosted by the regular-season champion.
| 2016 Big Sky Volleyball Coaches' Preseason Poll |
| Rank. School |
Points (First-place votes) |
| 1. Northern Arizona |
119 (9) |
| 2. Northern Colorado |
104 (1) |
| 3. North Dakota |
99 (2) |
| 4. Idaho State |
86 |
| 5. Sacramento State |
79 |
| 6. Idaho |
68 |
| 7. Portland State |
60 |
| 8. Eastern Washington |
51 |
| 9. Weber State |
44 |
| 10. Southern Utah |
40 |
| 11. Montana State |
23 |
| 12. Montana |
19 |