Bellevue Volleyball picked second in NSAA Preseason Poll

Bellevue Volleyball picked second in NSAA Preseason Poll
August 12th, 2024 | Bellevue Athletics

BISMARCK, N.D. — The Bellevue University volleyball team is picked to finish second in the North Star Athletic Association regular-season standings in an announcement made by the league office as the 2024 NSAA Preseason Coaches’ Poll was released today.

The Bruins return five starters and 16 letterwinners from last season’s squad that finished with a 26-10 overall record, advancing to the NAIA National Tournament for the 16th time in school history. Bellevue finished second in 2023 in the NSAA regular season standings and was runner-up in the NSAA Tournament. 

Jamestown (N.D.), who is returning to the North Star Athletic Association this season for the first time since 2017-18, is the preseason favorite to win the league title. Each head coach could vote for their own team in the preseason poll.

The Jimmies, 25-11 overall record last season, tallied four first-place votes and 34 points to claim the top spot in the preseason poll.

The Bruins picked up the final two first-place votes and recorded 32 points in the poll. 

Valley City State (N.D.) (23-11 overall record in 2023) was third in the preseason poll with 22 points.

Last season, Jamestown, Bellevue, and Valley City State qualified for the NAIA Women’s Volleyball National Tournament. Each team advanced to the national tournament’s final site, with Jamestown advancing to the single elimination bracket play after pool play action.

Dakota State (S.D.) (16-15 overall record last season) edged out Mayville State (N.D.) (15-11 overall record in 2023) for the fourth spot in the preseason poll. The Trojans registered 16 points compared to the Comets’ 15 points.

Dickinson State (1-23 overall record in 2023) finished sixth with seven points.

All NSAA members will be playing a 10-match schedule (five matches at home and five on the road) in the conference’s final year.

The conference season officially kicks off Wednesday, Sept. 18, with Dickinson State visiting Valley City State. Jamestown opens their conference play at VCSU on Sept. 19. The Blue Hawks continue their action at Mayville State on the same day.

Dakota State and Bellevue face each other in their conference opener in Bellevue, Neb., on Sept. 20.

All six teams will play in the North Star Postseason Tournament. The top two seeds will receive a first-round bye, while the third through sixth seeds will play in the quarterfinal round on Nov. 9 at higher seeds. The remaining four teams will compete in the semifinals and championship match at the No. 1 seed on Nov. 15-16.

The NSAA Tournament’s champion will receive an automatic bid to the NAIA Women’s Volleyball National Tournament on Nov. 23 at campus sites.

The national tournament’s opening round winners will move on to the final site at Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. The pool play begins on Dec. 4 and continues through Dec. 6 (each team in each pool will play two matches with a ‘rest’ day). The single elimination bracket play opens on Dec. 7, with the semifinals set for Dec. 9 and the championship match scheduled for Dec. 10.

2024 NSAA Women’s Volleyball Coaches’ Preseason Poll
RankSchool (First-Place Votes in parenthesis)Points
1Jamestown (N.D.) (4)34
2Bellevue (Neb.) (2)32
3Valley City State (N.D.)22
4Dakota State (S.D.)16
5Mayville State (N.D.)15
6Dickinson State (N.D.)7
Share:

© 2024 Nebraska Rural Radio Association. All rights reserved. Republishing, rebroadcasting, rewriting, redistributing prohibited. Copyright Information