2015 NSIC Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll (Aug. 11, 2015)

University of Minnesota Duluth senior setter Ashley Hinsch was voted the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Player of the Year, while the defending NSIC regular season and tournament champion Bulldogs were slated third in the 2015 NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll.

UMD, which finished with an undefeated 20-0 mark in conference play a season ago and 33-2 overall record, fell only to the NCAA II National finalists in 2014, eventual champion the University of Tampa during the regular season and conference rival Southwest Minnesota State University in the NCAA II Central Region Championship game. The Mustangs slot in second in the league poll, edging UMD by two points overall and one first-place vote, 207 to 205 and three to two. Concordia University, St. Paul lands the top spot with 11 of 16 first-place nods and 219 points overall. Rounding out the top-five are Wayne State (Neb.) College and Northern State University.

Hinsch earned an NSIC Offensive Player of the Year selection a season ago while also earning the third All-American citation citation of her career and the Daktronics Central Region Player of the Year honors. She was six times voted the league's Setter of the Week and led the NSIC with 12.88 assists per match. She also led the offense for 2014 NSIC Coach of the Year Jim Boos, as the team hit .292 on the year, second best in the conference. Like several teams in the conference, the Bulldogs return more talent than they lose as four All-Americans remain in the line-up from a season ago, though UMD did bid farewell to NSIC Defensive Player of the Year and all-time Bulldog digs leader Julie Rainey ('14).

UMD will look to outperform the expectations of league coaches and claim their second-straight conference regular season championship and third-straight tournament title in 2015. The season gets underway Sept. 4 in Tampa, Florida when the Bulldogs travel to the Tampa Classic where they'll open the year against Wayne State (Mich.) University. The NSIC and home schedules begin Thursday, Sept. 17 when UMD takes on the University of MInnesota, Crookston in Romano Gym.
 

2015 NSIC Preseason Volleyball Coaches Poll
1. Concordia-St. Paul (11)	219
2. Southwest Minnesota State (3)	207
3. UMD (2)	205
4. Wayne State (Neb.)	184
5. Northern State	153
6. Augustana (S.D.) College	146
7. Winona State University	145
8. Minnesota State University Mankato	129
9. University of Sioux Falls	113
10. Minnesota State University Moorhead	99
11. Minnesota-Crookston	80
12. Upper Iowa University	77
13. Minot State University	58
14. Bemidji State University	45
15. St. Cloud State University	40
16. University of Mary	20
first place votes in ( )