A strong season last year combined with three first-team all-Frontier Conference performers returning helped the Lewis-Clark State College women’s volleyball team earn its highest ranking in the Tachikara-NAIA Volleyball Coaches’ Preseason poll in at least a decade when the Warriors were ranked No. 7 on Tuesday.
LCSC went 31-3 a year ago and made to the quarterfinals of the NAIA national tournament. The Warriors return eight players from a year ago, including senior middle blocker Nicole Graybeal, a first-team NAIA All-American and the conference’s Player of the Year, along with senior outside hitters Kelli Tikker and Lauryn Herrick, both first-team all-conference picks a year ago.
The Warriors, who finished ranked ninth in the NAIA a year ago, drew 522 points in the poll and trail No. 6 Azusa Pacific by 13 points.
Four-time defending national champion Fresno Pacific drew 16 of the 23 first-place votes to grab the top spot in the poll for the fourth straight season. Columbia of Missouri is second, while Lee, which eliminated LCSC last year, is third. Both teams received three first-place votes. No. 4 Brownsville of Texas received the other-first place vote, while Biola rounds out the top five. Fresno Pacific, Biola, and Azusa Pacific are from the Golden State Athletic Conference, which had five teams in the top 12 and six in the Top 25.
The Frontier Conference had two teams in the poll as Rocky Mountain was selected at No. 18. Carroll College drew votes in the poll.
LCSC will play seven matches against teams ranked in the NAIA Top 25 and four others who received votes. Along with playing Rocky Mountain twice, LCSC will face No. 14 Southern Oregon and No. 5 Biola on the same day next Saturday in the Biola Holiday Inn Summer Slam at La Miranda, Calif. The following week, LCSC will be in Bellevue, Neb., for the Bruin Labor Day Volleyball Classic. LCSC will play No. 20 Dordt of Iowa, No. 14 Northwestern of Iowa, and No. 16 Bellevue.
LCSC also plays Carroll twice, Grandview of Iowa, and Westmont of California, three teams that also received votes.
The Warriors will play an exhibition match this Saturday against an alumni team at 3 p.m. at the LCSC Activity Center. Admission is free.
LCSC kicks off the season at the Biola tournament where it faces Cal State San Macros at 2 p.m. next Friday.
The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and Independents. The first regular season poll will be announced on Sept. 6.
2011 Tachikara-NAIA Volleyball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll
2011 Tachikara-NAIA Volleyball Coaches' Preseason Top 25 Poll
|
RANK
|
LAST TIME^
|
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES)
|
2010 RECORD
|
TOTAL POINTS
|
|
1
|
3
|
Fresno Pacific (Calif.) (16)
|
35-2
|
645
|
|
2
|
5
|
Columbia (Mo.) (3)
|
42-3
|
629
|
|
3
|
1
|
Lee (Tenn.) (3)
|
39-1
|
610
|
|
4
|
2
|
Texas at Brownsville (1)
|
38-2
|
595
|
|
5
|
7
|
Biola (Calif.)
|
28-10
|
574
|
|
6
|
8
|
Azusa Pacific (Calif.)
|
29-8
|
535
|
|
7
|
9
|
Lewis-Clark State (Idaho)
|
31-3
|
522
|
|
8
|
12
|
Embry-Riddle (Fla.)
|
33-4
|
484
|
|
9
|
11
|
Concordia (Calif.)
|
24-10
|
481
|
|
10
|
16
|
College of Idaho
|
25-7
|
458
|
|
11
|
10
|
Taylor (Ind.)
|
35-8
|
448
|
|
12
|
15
|
Doane (Neb.)
|
27-8
|
423
|
|
12
|
17
|
Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.)
|
22-13
|
423
|
|
14
|
14
|
Southern Oregon
|
24-5
|
388
|
|
15
|
4
|
Northwestern (Iowa)
|
36-2
|
365
|
|
16
|
21
|
Bellevue (Neb.)
|
34-14
|
332
|
|
17
|
13
|
Indiana Tech
|
34-6
|
307
|
|
18
|
19
|
Rocky Mountain (Mont.)
|
25-9
|
273
|
|
19
|
22
|
Oklahoma Baptist
|
26-10
|
258
|
|
20
|
17
|
Dordt (Iowa)
|
32-8
|
244
|
|
21
|
23
|
Indiana Wesleyan
|
33-11
|
220
|
|
22
|
RV
|
Georgetown (Ky.)
|
25-12
|
215
|
|
23
|
RV
|
Lubbock Christian (Texas)
|
25-8
|
151
|
|
24
|
RV
|
Missouri Baptist
|
21-17
|
129
|
|
25
|
25
|
Aquinas (Mich.)
|
29-12
|
125
|
Others receiving votes: Indiana East 93; Viterbo (Wis.) 69; Madonna (Mich.) 64; Saint Xavier (Ill.) 47; Campbellsville (Ky.) 47; Westmont (Calif.) 46; Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) 37; Jamestown (N.D.) 31; Carroll (Mont.) 23; Point Park (Pa.) 18; Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 15; SCAD Savannah (Ga.) 13; Grand View (Iowa) 10; Shawnee State (Ohio) 10; Wayland Baptist (Texas) 8; College of the Ozarks (Mo.) 7; MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 5; Asbury (Ky.) 3; Hastings (Neb.) 3; Concordia (Ore.) 1; Grace (Ind.) 1; Friends (Kan.) 1; Spring Hill (Ala.) 1; Evangel (Mo.) 1.
^2010 Tachikara-NAIA Volleyball Coaches’ Top 25 Final Poll.
