Bruins picked to win NSAA Regular-Season title

The Bellevue University volleyball team is picked to win the North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) regular season title in an announcement made today by the conference office. Defending NSAA champion Viterbo is projected to finish second in the 2022 NSAA volleyball standings. It marked the first time in eight seasons that someone other than the V-Hawks is picked to win the league title.

The Bruins tallied 61 points and five first-place votes in the poll after ending the 2021 season with a No. 9 final national ranking after advancing to the quarterfinals of the NAIA National Tournament. The Bruins return 10 letterwinners and all six starters from last season's squad that placed second in the NSAA regular season and post-season tournament, advancing to the NAIA National Tournament for the 14th time in school history. The 2021 "final eight" appearance for BU marked the first time since the 2000 season that the Bruins have advanced to the quarterfinals of the national tournament. 

Leading the way for BU will be senior first-team All-American setter Olivia Galas. She is a three-time first-team All-American and four-time NSAA Setter of the Year selection. First-team All-American outside hitter Eve Fountain returns after leading the Bruins with 438 kills and finishing second on the team with 439 digs. Other top returners include senior outside hitter Sierra Athen (all-NSAA, all-Region, 2019 second-team All-American, and 2021 third-team All-American) and sophomore middle blocker Haley Fleischman (first team all-NSAA and all-Region, NSAA and North Central Region Freshman of the Year). 

Viterbo (Wis.), who had been selected as the preseason favorite to win the North Star title in the previous seven seasons, finished second in the preseason poll.  The V-Hawks collected the remaining three first-place votes and 59 points. VU swept the NSAA regular-season and tournament titles in 2021 and qualified for the national tournament.  Viterbo went 1-1 in the national tournament's pool play and did not advance to the bracket play, completing their astounding season with an overall record of 39-2 and a perfect 14-0 league record.

Dakota State (S.D.) was picked to finish third in the conference preseason poll with 47 points.  The Trojans went 21-9 overall record last season and fell short in the NAIA Women's Volleyball National Tournament's Opening Round.

Three NSAA teams were listed in the final NAIA Women's Volleyball Coaches' Top 25 national poll last season, led by Viterbo at No. 7 followed by Bellevue at No. 9 and Dakota State in the receiving votes section.

Valley City State (N.D.) edged Mayville State (N.D.) by one point to finish fourth (36-35).  Presentation (S.D.) was sixth with 19 points, followed by Waldorf (Iowa) seventh with 17 points, and Dickinson State (N.D.) eighth with 14 points.

All NSAA members will be playing a 14-match schedule (7 matches at home and 7 matches on the road).

The conference season officially kicks off Wednesday, Sept. 14 with traveling partners playing each other.  Bellevue visits Dakota State, Dickinson State travels to Valley City State, Waldorf host Viterbo, and Presentation welcomes Mayville State.

The top six teams will qualify for the North Star conference postseason tournament on Nov. 11-12.  The postseason tournament is scheduled to take place at the Civic Arena in Watertown, S.D.

The NSAA postseason tournament's champion will receive an automatic bid to the NAIA Women's Volleyball National Tournament, which is scheduled for Nov. 19 at campus sites.

The national tournament's opening round winners will move on to the final site at Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.  There will be a new format for the final site of the national tournament, where the teams will have a 'rest' day.  The pool play begins on Nov. 30 and continues through Dec. 2 (each team in each pool will play two matches).  The single elimination bracket play opens on Dec. 3, with semifinals set for Dec. 5 and the championship match on Dec. 6.

Below is the complete list of the 2022 NSAA Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll below: