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2017 Northeast Conference Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll            1. LIU Brooklyn (4)            2. Sacred Heart (2)            3. Central Connecticut (2)            4. Bryant            5. Robert Morris            6. Saint Francis U            7. St. Francis Brooklyn            8. Fairleigh Dickinson             First place votes in parentheses

 
   
Somerset, NJ -- LIU Brooklyn has garnered enough NEC volleyball awards in recent years to fill an entire trophy case and the conference’s head coaches are suggesting another one is headed the Blackbirds’ way.

Coming off their fourth NEC Tournament title in the past five years, the Blackbirds earned four first-place votes to win a split decision and finish atop the 2017 preseason coaches’ poll.

Sacred Heart, which won 13 of 14 regular season league matches en-route to a first-place finish last fall, finished second in the preseason predicted order-of-finish with two top nods.

Looking to qualify for the NEC Tournament for what would be the 14th time in 15 seasons, Central Connecticut accounted for the remaining two first-place votes and took third place.

Bryant followed in fourth place with Keystone State rivals Robert Morris and Saint Francis U sliding in at fifth and sixth, respectively. St. Francis Brooklyn (seventh) and Fairleigh Dickinson (eighth) rounded out the selections.

LIU Brooklyn has continued its winning tradition under third-year head coach Ken Ko. In all but one of the past 13 seasons, LIU has won either the NEC regular season crown and/or the tournament title. On seven occasions during that span, the Blackbirds have secured both.

With a bulk of last year’s championship contributors returning, LIU appears poised to challenge for the program’s 11th NCAA Tournament bid.  Five of the seven Blackbirds who started last year’s NCAA First Round match at Penn State return to Downtown Brooklyn for the 2017 campaign.

LIU sophomore setter Amanda Hubbard (Hillsborough, CA/St. Francis), an All-NEC second team selection, was the NEC leader in assists (9.25/set) last year. Hubbard also earned a spot on the NEC All-Tournament Team as did sophomore middle blocker Filippa Hansson (Ystad, Sweden/ProCivitas Privata Gymnasium). In addition to the 6-foot-2 Hansson, the Blackbirds welcome Serbian-born Sonja Vukosavljevic (Belgrade, Serbia/The Sixth Belgrade Grammar School) and Austrian-born Katharina Krepper (Linz, Austria/Georg von Peuerbach Gymnasium) back to the middle. Junior outside hitter Viktoria Fink (Vienna, Austria/Polgarstrasse), a 2016 All-NEC second teamer, also returns after averaging 2.43 kills and 2.33 digs per set as a sophomore.

Two-time NEC Player of the Year Sarah Krufka has graduated, but Sacred Heart still has plenty of talent to make a serious push for the program’s third league title. In addition to all-NEC first team outside hitter Makayla Dole (Cypress, CA/Western High School), who ranked second amongst NEC kills leaders (3.56/set), reigning NEC Coach of the Year Rob Machan returns four starters from the Pioneers’ heart-breaking 3-2 defeat in the 2016 conference title tilt.

All eight NEC teams will contest a double-round robin league schedule with the top-four finishers in the conference standings advancing to the postseason. The 2017 NEC Tournament is set for November 18-19 at the home venue of the highest seed.

NEC-toids

Bryant’s senior middle blocker Alexandra Lunsford (Minneola, FL/Lake Minneola) posted a .329 hitting percentage last year, the highest mark amongst returning athletes.

The top-three league leaders in assists from last season are all back – Hubbard, Robert Morris’ Brianna Frakes (Clarkston, MI/Clarkston), Saint Francis U’s Amelia Metzler (Littleton, CO/Chatfield).

Five of the seven women who comprised the 2016 NEC All-Tournament Team have graduated. The aforementioned Hubbard and Hansson are the lone returnees from that group.

Outside of Sacred Heart, Central Connecticut is the lone team to welcome back a 2016 All-NEC first team honoree. CCSU rightside hitter Morgan Woycik (Lapeer, MI/Lapeer), the reigning NEC Rookie of the Year, averaged 2.49 kills per set as a freshman.

Robert Morris has qualified for the NEC Tournament each of the past 18 seasons, the longest current streak in the league.

LIU Brooklyn’s 10 NEC Tournament titles are the most in league history.

Robert Morris ranks second amongst NEC members in terms of conference crowns. The Colonials, who last hoisted the trophy in 2015, have won eight NEC Tournament titles.

Bryant, Central Connecticut, St. Francis Brooklyn and Saint Francis U are all in search of their first-ever NEC crown. 
 
About The Northeast Conference
Now entering its 37th year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#23), Baltimore (#27), and Hartford/New Haven (#30).  Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 22 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 14 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary’s, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U and Wagner. For more information on the NEC, visit the league’s official website (www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat, all @NECsports.