MSUB Volleyball Picked to Finish Sixth

SPOKANE, Wash. – Montana State Billings has been picked to finish sixth in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason poll.  The Yellowjackets received 28 points.   If the poll is any indication, expect a wild and wooly volleyball season in the GNAC.  Western Washington, who reached the NCAA Division II championship game, was picked to repeat as conference champs finishing with 69 points.  Right behind them were Western Oregon (67), Central Washington (65) and Northwest Nazarene (62).  Seattle Pacific received 49 points to finish in fifth.

Rounding out the standings were Alaska Fairbanks in seventh (26), Saint Martin’s in eighth (21) and Alaska Anchorage in ninth (18).  Of the top four teams, all but Central Washington qualified for the NCAA West Regional Championships last year.

The Yellowjackets lose just four letterwinners from last year’s squad that went 18-10.  However three of the players were starters, including one of the best players in school history in Alicia Cazemier.  First year head coach Dana Cordova will look to returning starters, right side/middle blocker Jessica Lechner  and outside hitters Jennifer Boe and Devon Crotteau, to take charge.  Crotteau earned All-GNAC second team honors last year.  She had 4.23 kills and 3.86 digs per game, ranking 2nd in the GNAC in kills per game.  Boe averaged nearly three kills a game and is expected to form a solid tandem with Crotteau.  Lechner, who ranks among the top 10 career in total blocks, is expected to take a leadership role as the only senior on the squad.

Setter Hillary Morrison and outside hitter Jill Trabing, returning letterwinners, were hampered by injuries last season.  Both players start the season healthy and looking to be a vital part of the team success.  Seven freshman and two transfers join the Yellowjackets for the 2008 season.  Setter Alohanui Pekipaki and middle blocker Rosey Falemaka, both from Otero Junior College, are looking to step right in and take charge.