Bemidji State University has been picked to finish 12th in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference preseason volleyball coaches' poll. BSU earened 41 points in the poll.
The Beavers finished the 2010 season with a 12-16 (6-14 NSIC) mark which placed them in a tie for 10th place in the final conference standings. In his second year at the helm coach Wayne Chadwick will be tasked with replacing seven players from the 2010 squad including six seniors, all of whom played a vital role in the Beaver rotation.
The 2011 squad returns six players from last year's team and will be reliant on a group of 10 newcomers to fill the void of the outgoing players.
Four-time defending national champion Concordia-St. Paul was selected first in the NSIC poll. The Golden Bears received 169 points, including 13 first place votes. Southwest Minnesota State finished second in the poll with 146 points and the other first-place vote.
Bemidji State received a total of 41 points in the poll.
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BSU will open the 2011 season Sept. 2-3 at the University of Sioux Falls tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D. with matches against South Dakota School of Mines, Minot State, University of Sioux Falls and Black Hills State.
NSIC VB Poll
1. Concordia-St. Paul (13) 169
2. SW Minn. State (1) 146
3. UMD 143
4. Wayne State 142
5. Minnesota State 120
6. Augustana 106
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7. MSU Moorhead 93
8. St. Cloud State 81
8. Winona State 81
10. Northern State 55
10. Upper Iowa 55
12. Bemidji State 41
13. Mary 21
13. Crookston 21
