Sycamores Picked To Finish Ninth In Valley Volleyball
Indiana State to open season with two tournaments at home in preparation of MVC season
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The Indiana State volleyball team was picked to finish ninth in the 2011 Missouri Valley Conference race in a poll of MVC coaches released today by the Valley office. The Sycamores were selected just behind Southern Illinois and earned the most points in nearly 10 years showing the increased respect that the Indiana State program is accumulating.
“I think that in order to be respected in the Valley we need to win more games,” Traci Dahl, Indiana State volleyball coach, said. “Last season we beat schools that have traditionally defeated us every year. This is something we are going to build off of this season.”
Defending champion Northern Iowa is the unanimous favorite to win the 2011 title as the Panthers garnered all 10 first place votes in recording a perfect 100 points. Wichita State was picked second with 87 points, Creighton third with 77, and Missouri State fourth with 75 which are the same positions they finished after the 2010 campaign.
Illinois State was fifth with 52 points after a sixth place finish in 2010 while Drake was selected sixth with 43 points after a fifth place finish last year. Evansville was picked seventh with 42 points while Southern Illinois is eighth with 30 points which is just two points better than ninth-picked Indiana State who earned 28 points. Bradley rounds out the league in 10th after recording 16 points.
The Sycamores were also picked ninth a year ago with 19 points.
“I feel we have a great group of returners who understand what it takes to win,” Dahl said. “Our incoming athletes will compliment the veteran’s work ethic and desire. The team is confident and ready to start the season with the conference tournament on their minds.”
The pre-season All-Conference team was also announced today with the top four schools placing at least one player on the pre-season team. Michelle Burrow and Bre Payton were named from Northern Iowa and join Missouri State’s Kelley Michnowicz and Calli Norman, Wichita State’s Mary Elizabeth Hooper and Emily Adney, and Creighton’s Megan Bober.
Three seniors will lead the 2011 Sycamores including Stacy Qualizza who was a second-team All-Conference selection a year ago. The middle blocker led the 2010 team in hitting percentage and blocks. Senior setter Shelbi Fouty, libero Kiya James, and junior Morgan Dall were nationally ranked a year ago and return to form the nucleus of what could be the best Sycamore team since the 2004 season. Dall led the Valley in kills a year ago.
