Utah State Volleyball Picked To Finish Seventh In The WAC
Utah State’s women’s volleyball team has been picked to finish seventh in the Western Athletic Conference’s preseason poll according to the conference’s coaches as the Aggies received 22 votes. Hawai’i, which has won 11 straight WAC titles, was once again selected as the league favorite.
Hawai’i garnered eight of the nine possible first-place votes and 64 points, while San Jose State received the other first-place vote and was picked to finish third in the conference. New Mexico State was picked second by the coaches with 55 points, and San Jose State and Idaho eachreceived 44 points to tie for third. Nevada was picked fifth in the preseason poll with 36 points, followed by Boise State (30), Utah State (22), Fresno State (20) and Louisiana Tech (9).
“Considering the down year we had last season and the youth of our team, seventh-place is probably where we should be picked right now,” said second-year head coach Grayson DuBose. “We are hoping, however, that the difficulty of our preseason schedule and the development of our young players will result in a higher finish.”
Utah State returns five starters and seven letterwinners from last year’s team that went 13-19 on the season and finished in a tie for sixth-place in the WAC with a 6-10 league record. Last year’s team was picked to finish eighth in the conference according to the league’s coaches.
Among those returning for Utah State is senior opposite side hitter Amanda Nielson and sophomore middle blocker Melissa Larson. Nielson was named second-team all-WAC in 2006, while Larson was voted to the league’s all-freshman team.
Utah State opens the 2007 season on Aug. 24 against the University of Arizona in a tournament hosted by the Wildcats. USU’s first home match of the season will also be its conference opener as it hosts Boise State on Thursday, Sept. 13 at 7 p.m.
2007 WAC Volleyball Coaches’ Preseason Poll1. Hawai’i (8) 642. New Mexico State 553. San Jose State (1) 44 Idaho 445. Nevada 366. Boise State 307. UTAH STATE 228. Fresno State 209. Louisiana Tech 9