The University of Northern Colorado volleyball team, the two-time defending Big Sky Conference regular-season and tournament champions, have again been picked as the pre-season favorite in a poll of the league’s 10 coaches.
UNC received the top spot in the pre-season poll for the third time in five years. UNC was 13-3 in the BSC a year ago and 22-9 overall. UNC advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second-straight year, but lost to the eventual final four qualifier, the University of San Diego, in four sets.
Earlier this month, Oates said she’s excited for the season.
“For what we’re facing and what we’re capable of,” Oates said, adding the team has 14 returning players from last year. “We have a good core group returning.”
The leaders of the core are senior setter Syd Cole, an All-America selection and the reigning BSC player of the year in 2022, and , a fifth-year outside hitter who was the MVP of the conference tournament the last two seasons.
The coaches’ poll this year is as follows with points list and first-place votes in parenthesis:
- Northern Colorado, 80 (8)
- Weber State, 69 (1)
- Portland State, 61
- Montana State, 53 (1)
- Sacramento State, 51
- Montana, 41
- Northern Arizona, 36
- Eastern Washington, 28
- Idaho State, 20
- Idaho, 11
“It is a compliment to be chosen preseason No. 1, even if most of it is based on last year,” Oates said in an athletic department news release on the pre-season poll.
UNC opens its regular season Friday, Aug. 25 at home against Stanford. The match begins at 6 p.m. at Bank of Colorado Arena.
The Bears play at an exhibition match at noon Saturday at Creighton in Omaha, Nebraska.
UNC will host the Big Sky Conference Tournament Nov. 22-24 at Bank of Colorado Arena.
“It is certainly our goal to be No. 1 at the end of the season, but I think the conference is extremely deep this year,” Oates said in the release. “There will be no nights off.”
