Two-time defending champion Northern Iowa edged Illinois State by just one point to lead the preseason Missouri Valley Conference volleyball poll. The Panthers had 93 points to 92 for the Redbirds in a vote of the league's 10 head coaches taken earlier this summer.
Redbird senior middle blocker Kendra Haselhorst, an all-America candidate, was one of six players cited for preseason all-conference honors. The Valley's all-time career hitting percentage leader is one of 10 returning letterwinners at Illinois State, which will feature new head coach Sharon Dingman this season.
"Our rank speaks well of the success we've had in the past and the players we have now," said Dingman. "It still boils down to what you do on the court. Polls are great for publicity and good for conversation, but they compliment the past more than they foresee the future."
The Panthers, who have finished first ahead of the 'Birds each of the last two years and were undefeated in the 1999 regular season, placed senior Alexandra Auker and junior Kim McCaffrey on the preseason all-conference team. Like Haselhorst, both were first-team all-Valley selections in 1999.
In a team dominated by height, the 5-10 Auker was the only choice under six-feet tall as Creighton's Melissa Walsh, Drake's Kim Bahr and Bradley's Laura Benzing rounded out the six-player all-league group. All were first-team all-Valley in 1999.The teams picked at the top are in keeping with league tradition. Illinois State and Northern Iowa, both with all-time league winning percentages above 84 percent, have either won or shared every regular-season league volleyball title since 1984.
Dingman acknowledges that the 2000 poll was taken before Redbird all-conference middle blocker Jenny Kabbes had season-ending shoulder surgery.
"Of course, we would be a different team if we had Jenny," said Dingman. "But we have Kendra and Becky Weber and others and we are excited about the potential of our team this year. Polls are unpredictable. Bradley last year was a perfect example."
The Braves finished tied for second a year ago after being the preseason choice to finish last. They were slotted third in the 2000 preseason poll followed by Creighton, Southwest Missouri, Drake, Indiana State, Evansville, Wichita State and Southern Illinois.
The top six regular-season finishers in the Valley will compete for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament in the State Farm-Missouri Valley Conference Volleyball Tournament at Terre Haute, Ind.
