UNLV volleyball team selected fourth in preseason MWC poll

As the start of the first Mountain West Conference women's volleyball season nears, the coaches from the eight institutions have registered their votes for projected order of finish, and Brigham Young is the unanimous favorite to claim the inaugural crown.

The Cougars enter the season ranked No. 7 in the nation with four starters and eight letter winners returning.

Second team All-American setter Anna-Lena Smith and WAC Pacific Division Freshman of the Year Nina Puikkonen headline a list of returnees who gained all-conference honors. In 1998, BYU reached the NCAA Regional Final for the third consecutive season and finished the year No. 6 in the nation with a 31-4 record.

Colorado State, ranked No. 24 in the nation, is projected as the MWC runner-up. The Rams return five starters and nine letter winners from a squad that posted a 24-8 record in 1998. Led by 1998 WAC Mountain Division co-Coach of the Year Tom Hilbert, CSU claimed the conference division title and advanced to the NCAA second round.

Utah is picked to finish third in the MWC. The Utes return one half of the starting rotation, including second team all-conference selection Lucie Turkova, from a team that posted a 21-10 record in 1998 and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

UNLV, which earned one vote in the preseason national poll, rounds out the upper half of the preseason poll in the fourth position. Under the direction of 1998 WAC Mountain Division Co-Coach of the Year Deitre Collins, the Rebels placed second in their division and finished the season 23-8 overall.

UNLV will be led by second team all-conference selections Justine Kamelamela and Angie Sylvas as five starters and 10 letterwinners return.

archive