2016 Northwest Conference Volleyball Pre-Season Coaches' Poll
|
TEAM
|
1STS
|
PTS
|
'15 NWC
|
'15 ALL
|
|
Pacific Lutheran University
|
(7)
|
72
|
12-4
|
18-7
|
|
Whitworth University
|
(2)
|
56
|
13-3
|
19-8
|
|
Lewis & Clark College
|
|
45
|
7-9
|
10-13
|
|
Willamette University
|
|
43
|
11-5
|
15-9
|
|
University of Puget Sound
|
|
37
|
6-10
|
9-15
|
|
Pacific University (Ore.)
|
|
30
|
7-9
|
10-14
|
|
Linfield College
|
|
27
|
7-9
|
10-15
|
|
Whitman College
|
|
14
|
4-12
|
6-16
|
|
George Fox University
|
|
12
|
5-11
|
8-16
|
(Points awarded on a 9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Coaches could not vote on their own teams.)
NWC VOLLEYBALL POLL: Pacific Lutheran Strongly Favored to Return to Top Spot
HILLSBORO, Ore. – Having shared the Northwest Conference women's volleyball title two years ago and finishing second last year by a game, Pacific Lutheran University is expected to ascend to the top again in 2016, according to a pre-season poll of the league's nine coaches as announced by the conference office Monday.
Pacific Lutheran is a decided favorite this fall after picking seven of eight possible first-place votes (coaches do not vote on their own teams) and 72 points in all. Defending NWC champion Whitworth University garnered the other two first-place tallies and 56 total points to come in second in the poll.
Pacific Lutheran, which has won or shared the conference crown seven times in the last 10 years, finished 12-4 in league play last year and 18-7 overall, but did not receive and hoped-for at-large bid to the NCAA National Tournament. The Lutes graduated All-NWC First Team OH Lucy Capron, and four-time All-NWC honoree, and honorable mention MB Michael Edgers, but will build around budding star Chloe Epker (So., OH), a Second Team selection as a rookie. Head coach Kevin Aoki has compiled a 360-161 record and has guided the Lutes to nine NWC titles in 20 seasons.
Whitworth, which shared top honors with PLU in 2014, earned the title outright last year with a 13-3 NWC mark and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs, its fourth post-season appearance in the last six years. The Pirates finished 19-8 after falling to the University of Texas-Dallas in their NCAA opener. Two-time NWC Coach of the Year Kati Bodecker, who is 55-27 in three seasons, welcomes back All-NWC Second Team OH Cassandra Mendoza (Jr.), and honorable mention MB Brenna Bruil (Sr.), but has big shoes to fill with the loss of AVCA All-West Region honorable mention setter Maddye Dinsmore and All-NWC First Team outside hitter Nicole Leonard.
Up-and-coming Lewis & Clark College edged last year's surprise contender, Willamette University, for third place in the poll, 45 points to 43. Lewis & Clark finished in a three-way tie for fourth in the conference last year at 7-9 and was 10-13 overall, while Willamette took third place at 11-5 and posted an overall record of 15-9.
Lewis & Clark appears poised to mount a serious challenge to the front-runners with the return of NWC Libero of the Year Alex Navarro (Sr., L/DS), who ranked eighth nationally in digs per set (6.05), and All-NWC Second Team choice Julia Somers (So., OH). Stacie Matz-Gordon has the Pioneers on the rise as she enters her fourth season at Lewis & Clark.
Willamette must find replacements for AVCA All-West Region honorable mention OH and NWC Player of the Year Sarah Fincher and All-NWC OH/S Lindsey Compton, who was fifth nationally with six triple-doubles. Versatile Alexa Dowdell (Sr., MH/OPP) gives the Bearcats a good start in that direction. Head coach Tom Shoji enters his ninth season at Willamette and his 33rd season overall.
The University of Puget Sound came fifth in the poll with 37 points after finishing seventh with a 6-10 league record and 9-15 overall. The Loggers feature 16 returning letter winners from last year's 17-player roster, including All-NWC Second Team MB Hannah Stinson (Jr.), who was ninth in the nation in blocks per set (1.29). Head coach Mark Massey brings a 346-168 record into his 21st season at Puget Sound.
Pacific University (Ore.) and Linfield College filled in the sixth and seventh spots in the poll with 30 and 27 points respectively. Both had 7-9 conference records while tying with Lewis & Clark for fourth last year, with Pacific finishing 10-14 overall and Linfield 10-15.
Pacific will look to repair its front line after losing a pair of All-NWC honorees in Second Team MB Ciara Smith (So.) and honorable mention OH Marie Rewick (Sr.). Lia Zablan (Sr., DS/L), the Boxers' leader in digs, is back to anchor the defense. Head coach Kip Yoshimura enters his fourth season with the Boxers and has a 344-282 record in 21 years in all.
Linfield will be without All-NWC honorable mention DS/L Courtney Uyeda, but Second Team S Jamie Talbo (Jr.), who was sixth nationally with five triple-doubles, returns to direct the Wildcats' offense. Shane Kimura enters his 39th season at Linfield with 642 wins, which ranks in the top 10 among active Division III coaches.
In the final two slots, Whitman College came in eighth in the poll with 14 points and George Fox University was ninth with 12 points. Whitman went 4-12 in league play to finish ninth and was 6-16 overall last year, while George Fox came in one place above at 5-11 in the NWC and went 8-16 overall.
Whitman's efforts to climb in the conference standings will be led by All-NWC Second Team performer Shae Kanakaole (Sr., OH), along with assists leader Anna Dawson (Jr., S/DS) and top blocker Natalia Zea (Sr., MB/OPP). Head coach Matt Helm enters his fifth season at Whitman this fall.
George Fox must replace All-NWC honorable mention setter Payton Shrum, but welcomes back honorable mention OH/MB Delaney Cruz (Jr.). Emily Palkert, for the last four years an assistant coach at Augsburg College, takes over the Bruins' program, replacing veteran Steve Grant, who retired after 34 seasons with 610 wins.
The regular season officially opens on Thursday, Sept. 1, with Linfield hosting Multnomah University and Pacific (Ore.) in the Austin College Classic in Sherman, Texas, against host Austin and LeTourneau University. All nine teams will be in action in various tournaments over the weekend. The first conference match is Sept. 14 as Willamette hosts Linfield.
The Northwest Conference has no post-season volleyball tournament to determine its representative to the NCAA Tournament. Instead, the NWC sends its regular season conference champion to the playoffs as determined by the results of its double round-robin schedule.
-30-