With the start of preseason practice just less than a few weeks away (set to begin Aug. 14), the University of Minnesota Duluth was picked to finish third in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference this season according to the annual coaches poll.

The Bulldogs were selected behind Concordia University, St. Paul, the defending NCAA II Champions, and Southwest Minnesota State University. UMD received 201 points; finishing just a mere point shy of Southwest Minnesota State's 202-point total. Concordia-St. Paul was selected to finish at the top of the conference with 218 points. Augustana College (171) and Winona State University (170) round out the top-five. UMD, who is looking for their conference-leading 25th championship and first since 2014, nabbed two first place votes while Concordia-St. Paul was tabbed with 10 first-place votes.

The Bulldogs finished tied for third with Augustana last season, going 17-3 in the NSIC. The Bulldogs won 21 consecutive matches to open the 2016 season, their best start since 2011 (25), with 13 of those victories in league play before falling their first time.

Junior right side hitter Sarah Kelly returns as one of the league's formidable foes to watch for. Kelly earned an American Coaches Volleyball Association All-American honorable mention citation while garnering AVCA All-Region honorable mention and NSIC First Team accolades. The Chaska, Minn. native led the Bulldogs in attack percentage (.360) and placed second on the team in total kills (323). Feeding her the ball is sophomore setter Emily Torve, the reigning NSIC Freshman of the Year. Torve, the product of Hertiage Christan Academy, was ranked fourth nationally in assists per set (11.90) and while leading the offense to the nation's fifth best hitting clip (.281). Head coach Jim Boos returns four starters from a year ago, however, has to fill holes losing three all-conference players -- Sydnie Mauch, Taylor Wissbroecker and Erin Schindler.

The 2017 campaign will begin in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. on Sept. 1 when the Bulldogs compete in the Nova Southeastern Invitational as they'll battle Saint Anselm and Nova Southeastern.  The NSIC and home schedules begin Thursday, Sept. 14 when UMD takes on the University of Minnesota Crookston in Romano Gym. At the end of the regular season the top eight teams will play in the single-elimination conference tournament Nov. 15-19, with the opening round hosted on campus by the top four seeds while the semifinals and championship will be hosted by the highest remaining seed.

NSIC RELEASE