Burnsville, MN (NSUWolves.com) – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference release the 2024 Preseason Volleyball Coaches’ Poll today with Northern State University picked seventh in the league. The Wolves tallied 121 points, just one point behind sixth-picked Winona State. Graudate student Keri Walker was selected as the team’s player to watch heading into her final season as a Wolf.
The Wolves went 19-9 overall, 11-7 in the NSIC, and 8-2 from Wachs Arena in 2023, finishing fifth in the league standings. Abby Meister, Abby Brooks, Keri Walker, and Natalia Szybinska were each named to the NSIC All-Conference teams and the CSC Academic All-District team.
ALDRIDGE’S THOUGHTS HEADING INTO 2024:
- On the team: “We return a lot of players of last season’s team while adding 4 players that will help us in the gym. We will lean heavily on the returners early in the preseason to set the tone for practice and get us ready to compete in our two preseason tournaments and the for the battles that we will face in the NSIC Conference play.”
- On Keri Walker: “Keri is a 6th year graduate senior setter. She has her B.A. in Education and will complete her Master’s in Education. She will graduate in December after competing her last year of volleyball. Keri is a 3-year captain and two-time All-NSIC selection. She has also been named to the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence twice and was named to the CSC Academic All-District Team. She currently sits top five in career assists at Northern State.”
The 2024 NSIC Volleyball season will begin with non-conference matches on Thursday, September 5 while the NSIC schedule begins September 19-21. The NSIC regular season champion will be determined by the 18-game conference schedule. The 2024 NSIC Volleyball Tournament shall be an eight-team tournament with the quarterfinals hosted at the top four seeds on Tuesday, November 19 and the semifinals/championship matches hosted at the highest remaining seed. The semifinals/championship matches will take place on two consecutive days between Friday and Sunday, November 22-24 with the dates of competition determined by the host institution.