The NKU volleyball team is aiming for its 18th consecutive 20-win season.
INDIANAPOLIS – The Northern Kentucky University volleyball team has been picked to finish fourth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference preseason poll, which was released Tuesday.
NKU, which posted a 20-12 record last season, received 158 total points in the poll. The Norse were 10-4 in the GLVC last year and finished fourth in the league standings. NKU, which returns five starters this year, has won at least 20 matches for 17 consecutive seasons.
Defending GLVC champion Indianapolis is the preseason pick to win the league. The Greyhounds, who also won the NCAA Division II Midwest Region championship last fall, collected 193 total points and 11 first-place votes in the poll. Indianapolis posted a 38-2 overall record last season, including a 13-1 mark in the GLVC.
Lewis totaled 179 total points and picked up two first-place votes to finish second in the poll. The Flyers (32-5, 14-0 GLVC) finished atop the GLVC regular-season standings in 2009.
Missouri-St. Louis garnered 163 total points and one first-place vote to take third place in the preseason poll. The Tritons posted a 21-11 overall record last year, including an 11-3 GLVC record.
NKU begins its season Sept. 3 by meeting three-time defending NCAA Division II national champion Concordia-St. Paul in the University of Tampa Classic.
Concordia-St. Paul finished with a 37-0 record last season en route to its third straight national championship. The Golden Bears won 32 matches by 3-0 sweeps and have dominated NCAA Division II volleyball during the past three years with 74 straight victories.
The Norse also face Nebraska-Kearney (33-3 last season), Central Missouri (34-5 last season) and Tampa (31-3 last season) during that same two-day tournament in Florida. Those three teams also advanced to the NCAA Division II Tournament last year, with Tampa earning a trip to the Elite Eight.
NKU plays its home opener Sept. 7 against the College of Mount St. Joseph. The next evening, Charleston (W.Va.) visits Regents Hall to meet the Norse.
The Norse begin GLVC play Sept. 17 with a match at Southern Indiana. NKU plays host to Drury on Oct. 1 in its first GLVC home match, followed by a showdown against Rockhurst on Oct. 2 in Regents Hall.
2010 GLVC volleyball preseason poll
Team (First-place votes) Total Points
1. Indianapolis (11) 193
2. Lewis (2) 179
3. Missouri-St. Louis (1) 163
4. Northern Kentucky 158
5. Rockhurst (1) 143
6. Southern Indiana 130
7. Drury 113
8. Bellarmine 97
9. UW-Parkside 96
10. Saint Joseph's 81
11. Missouri S&T 74
12. Quincy 65
13. Illinois-Springfield 36
14. Maryville 31
15. Kentucky Wesleyan 16
