MSU-N spikers picked to finish fourth in Frontier

A year ago, the Montana State University-Northern volleyball team was picked to finish sixth in the Frontier Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. All the Skylights did with that prediction was go 10-6 in the regular season and reach the dramatic fifth set of the Frontier Conference championship match last November in Butte.

Fast-forward a year and the ultra-talented Skylights, who return five senior starters, still are flying under the radar when it comes to preseason predictions.

The 2013 Frontier Conference Preseason Volleyball Poll was released last Friday, with the Skylights picked to finish fourth. A year ago, Northern wound up tied third in the regular season standings before knocking off Lewis-Clark State in the Frontier semifinals. A night later, MSU-N and Carroll College did battle for five dramatic sets in the championship match, before the Saints eked out the victory and a berth in the NAIA national tournament.

Carroll is now predicted to repeat as Frontier champions after receiving 60 total votes and five of the nine first-place votes in the preseason poll. LC State, which won the 2012 regular season title, was picked second by the coaches, and the Warriors received three first-place votes. Rocky Mountain College was picked third and also received a first-place vote.

Northern garnered 41 total points in the poll, finishing ahead Westminster College, which was picked fifth. Rounding out the poll was the University of Great Falls, Montana Tech, UM-Western and Dickinson State. The Blue Hawks will be leaving the Frontier after this season, to join the newly formed North Star Athletic Conference.

Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. First place was worth eight points, second place worth seven points, third place worth six points, fourth place worth five points, fifth place worth four points, sixth place worth three points, seventh place worth two points and eighth place worth one point.

The Skylights begin the 2013 campaign against Midlands University Friday night in Great Falls. Northern opens the Frontier season Sept. 13 against Carroll at the Armory Gymnasium.

Frontier Preseason Volleyball Poll

Carroll College (5) 60 pts

Lewis-Clark State (3) 57 pts

Rocky Mountain (1) 48 pts

Montana State-Northern 41 pts

Westminster College 35 pts

University of Great Falls 33 pts

Montana Tech 27 pts

Montana Western 15 pts

Dickinson State 8 pts