The Big Sky Conference released the results of their 2020 Preseason Volleyball Coaches’ Poll, and the Thunderbirds have been tabbed as the ninth best team in the league.
“Seeing the preseason poll is exciting, it represents a little bit of normalcy in an otherwise tumultuous time,” SUU head coach Pete Hoyer said. “I’m not at all concerned about being picked ninth in this poll. We were even lower in last year’s preseason poll and performed well beyond that expectation. We certainly plan to do that again this season. Our focus is, and will remain, on where we stand in November rather than in July before anyone has played.”
Last season the T-Birds were selected 10th in the preseason poll, but ended up finishing seventh in the league with an 8-10 Big Sky record.
The T-birds also made a trip to the Big Sky Conference Tournament for the first time since 2015.
Overall, SUU more than doubled its win total from 2018 during the 2019 campaign, finishing 15-16 on the season.
Northern Colorado has been selected as the preseason favorite in the Big Sky, garnering all but one first place vote.
To stay up to date during the offseason, follow @SUUVolleyball on Twitter and Instagram and like the Southern Utah Volleyball page on Facebook.
2020 Volleyball Preseason Poll
|
Place |
Team |
Votes (First Place Votes) |
|
1 |
Northern Colorado |
100 (10) |
|
T2 |
Northern Arizona |
86 (1) |
|
T2 |
Weber State |
86 |
|
4 |
Montana State |
69 |
|
5 |
Sacramento State |
64 |
|
6 |
Idaho |
50 |
|
T7 |
Portland State |
40 |
|
T7 |
Montana |
40 |
|
9 |
Southern Utah |
38 |
|
10 |
Idaho State |
19 |
|
11 |
Eastern Washington |
13 |
To read the original article published on July 22, click here.
Story by: Bryson Lester
Photos courtesy of: suutbirds.com
