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Three Other Region IX Teams Also Ranked
BY RANDAL HOROBIK
Tribune Sports Editor
The Northwest College women’s volleyball team will begin the year ranked No. 25 nationally after the NJCAA released its pre-season Division I volleyball poll. The Trappers are coming off a 27-10 season a year ago that culminated in a Region IX North title and an appearance at the national championships.
Northwest College head coach Flavia Siqueira returns eight sophomores from her 2009 team that finished with a 1-2 record at the national tournament.
Despite Northwest’s returning core of players and success in the 2009 season, the nation’s pollsters predict a challenge in the Trappers’ road to a title defense. Longtime Region IX North powerhouse Casper College (32-10 in ‘09) opens the year ranked No. 18. Laramie County (28-9) begins its fall calendar holding the No. 21 ranking in the nation.
Perennial national title contender Western Nebraska (42-4), which plays in the southern division of Region IX, is No. 5 to open the year.
The College of Southern Idaho (32-6) holds the No. 1 ranking to begin college volleyball season. They’ll be followed by Missouri State-West Plains (27-9), Salt Lake (29-9), Miami- Dade (32-5) and Western Nebraska. Rounding out the top 10 are Iowa Western (42-6), Blinn (29-4), San Jacinto-Central (32-9), Hillsborough (30-10 and Temple (23-22).
Northwest’s lone national tournament victory came against Temple last season.
The next 10 starts with North Idaho (28-5) at No. 11, followed by Frank Phillips (29-13), Eastern Arizona (21-2), Pratt (19-14) and Seminole State (26-15). Nos. 16-20 show Panola (28-9), Seward County (26- 11), Casper, Wallace State- Hanceville (34-6) and Florida State-Jacksonville (32-6). The last five spots in the poll are held by Laramie County, Spartanburg Methodist (10-19), Midland (23-14), Yavapai (26-15) and Northwest.
Also receiving votes in the first poll of 2010 were Barton (22-12), Lee (17- 13) and Palm Beach State (26-12).
The Northwest College Trappers open the 2010 volleyball season on a challenging note. Northwest College travels to Twin Falls, Idaho, on Aug. 27-28 to participate in the College of Southern Idaho tournament. Southern Idaho and Salt Lake are among the teams slated to appear in that tournament field.