Yellowjacket Volleyball Tabbed Eighth in GNAC Preseason Poll

SPOKANE, Wash. – The Montana State Billings volleyball team has been selected eighth in the annual Great Northwest Athletic Conference preseason poll, the conference office announced Friday. The Yellowjackets received 15 points behind conference favorite Western Washington with 60 points.

Defending conference champion, Western Oregon, was selected second (50 points), just ahead of Northwest Nazarene (47, two first place votes), Seattle Pacific (43, one first place vote), Central Washington (39), Alaska Fairbanks (33), Alaska Anchorage (27), the Yellowjackets and Saint Martin’s (8) rounded out the league. Points are awarded on an 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis.

In the highly competitive Great Northwest Athletic Conference, the Yellowjackets finished the 2008 season with a 7-23 record overall and a 4-12 mark in the conference. MSUB returns six letter winners from last year and will welcome five new freshmen to the team.

Returning for MSUB is one of the league’s top kill producers in Devon Crotteau. Last season she ranked second in kills per game, averaging 3.89. Joining Crotteau as returning letter winners will be Jennifer Boe, Hillary Morrison, Jill Trabing, Melissa Porter, and Whitney Mickelson.

The Yellowjackets open the 2009 season with a trip to Oahu, Hawaii, for the AQUA Hotel Invitational, Aug. 27-29. MSUB will kick off its home schedule Sept. 11, at 1 p.m., versus Northwest Nazarene at Alterowitz Gym as part of the Montana State Billings Tournament.

This season ALL MSUB home volleyball matches will be FREE on the internet with live video and audio as the voice of the Yellowjackets, Ken Adelblue, will have the call.

Great Northwest Coaches Poll       2008 Records     Pts
1.     Western Washington (6)              21-3 (13-3)          60
2.     Western Oregon                         22-3 (15-1)          50
3.     Northwest Nazarene (2)              16-9 (10-6)          47
4.     Seattle Pacific (1)                       8-18 (5-11)          43
5.     Central Washington                    16-12 (8-8)          39
6.     Alaska Fairbanks                        15-10 (9-7)          33
7.     Alaska Anchorage                      15-14 (7-9)          27
8.     Montana State Billings            7-23 (4-12)       15
9.     Saint Martin’s                             4-22 (1-15)           8

(Note: First-place votes in parenthesis.  Points awarded on a 8-7-6-5-4--3-2-1 basis).