Aug. 7, 2007
ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Bemidji State women’s
volleyball team has been picked to finish tenth in the 2007
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Volleyball
Coaches’ Poll, announced today by the league office.
The Beavers, who finished ninth in the NSIC in 2006 with an
overall record of 3-15, return seven players from last years’
roster including senior outside hitter Brittney Burns
(LeSueur, Minn.) who was named as a 2007 NSIC Player to Watch
in the same poll.
A three-year starter for the Beavers, Burns returns as the
Beavers top hitter. Last fall Burns compiled 371 kills (3.50
k/g) and hit for an average of .133. She was third on the
team in digs with 341 (3.22 d/g) and her 57 total blocks (0.54)
ranked her second among her teammates. She received NSIC All-Conference
honorable mention last season. Burns has compiled 991 kills
in her three years at BSU, which puts her nine kills shy from
becoming BSU’s seventh member of the 1,000-kills club
before completing her eligibility.
Southwest Minnesota State’s Erin Contons
was named the 2007 NSIC Preseason Player of the Year after
a junior campaign in which she was named Daktroncis and AVCA
second team All-America, first team Daktronics All-North Central
Region and earned the accolade of being named to the NCAA
North Central Region All-Tournament team. She was an NSIC
first team all-conference selection while being named NSIC
Offensive Player of the Week three times during the season.
Contons broke SMSU’s school record for career kills
last season, as she now has a career total of 1,924. Throughout
the 2006 season she had 36 double-digit kill matches and a
career high of 37 kills in a match versus Northern State.
Contons finished last season leading SMSU with 737 kills and
519 digs, while ranking second on the team with 81 blocks.
Defending regular-season and NSIC Tournament Champion Concordia-St.
Paul led the way at the top of the poll with seven first place
votes (85) on its way to edging out Southwest Minnesota State,
which garnered two first place nods (81), for top honors in
the poll. Wayne State garnered the remaining first place vote
in the 2007 poll earning 78 points, projected to finish third
for the third straight season.
MSU Moorhead moved into the fourth spot (63) of the rankings
for the second consecutive season, after finishing fourth
with a 11-7 mark last season in the NSIC. The Dragons were
followed by Winona State University in fifth (60) and Northern
State University with 50 points for the sixth spot.
NSIC newcomers, University of Mary and Upper Iowa University
find themselves lined up in the seventh and eight spots. U-Mary
garnered 43 points for the seventh spot, while Upper Iowa
captured the eight spot with 32 points. Minnesota, Crookston
and Bemidji State round out the final two spots in the 2007
poll with 25 and 23 points respectively.
The Beavers report to camp on August 10th for two weeks of
drills and competition before they embark on their 38th season
of Bemidji State volleyball.
2007 Preseason NSIC Coaches Poll
1. Concordia-St. Paul (7) 85
2. Southwest Minnesota State (2) 81
3. Wayne State (1) 78
4. MSU Moorhead 63
5. Winona State 60
6. Northern State 50
7. Mary (N.D.) 43
8. Upper Iowa 32
9. Minnesota, Crookston 25
10. Bemidji State 23
First place vote(s) in ()
2007 NSIC Players to Watch
Brittney Burns, Sr., OH, Bemidji State
Maggie McNamara, So., S, Concordia-St. Paul
Ashley Maas, Sr., OH, University of Mary
Theresa Crance, Sr., MH, Minnesota, Crookston
Julie Vancura, Sr., S, MSU Moorhead
Kelsey Aden, Jr., MH, Northern State
*Erin Contons, Sr., OH, Southwest Minnesota State
Darcey Hageman, Sr., MH, Upper Iowa
Emily Schroeder, Sr., MB, Wayne State
Lisa Dobie, Sr., S, Winona State
*2007 NSIC Preseason Player of the Year
--bsu-- |
