DeLozier earns NACC Woman of the Year nom

The Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference tabbed former Maranatha Baptist Bible outside Torey DeLozier as its nominee for the NCAA’s 2013 Woman of the Year award. DeLozier is the only Central or Midwest region women’s volleyball player still up for the award.

This year’s Woman of the Year competition began with 455 contenders – considering all sports and all divisions – from NCAA member institution nominations. Member conferences each nominated one woman from that initial list by the end of July. In August the Woman of the Year committee will pare down the more than 140 current conference candidates to 10 student-athletes in each of the three NCAA divisions.

Besides DeLozier, here are the other former Division III volleyball players nominated by their conferences:
Rachel Thibodeau, Southwestern
Kelsey Newberg (played volleyball in 2010), Sage
Jelena Markovic, Centenary (N.J.)
Kathy Chu, Brooklyn College
Anna Cain, Franciscan

-Ricky Nelson

Pointers announce new head coach

Wisconsin-Stevens Point named Abbey Sutherland as its new head coach yesterday. Sutherland was most recently the head coach at Southern Mississippi.

-Ricky Nelson

Thought I’d brighten things up a little

I’d been told that the old design was difficult to read. After sitting with that piece of feedback for six years, I’ve finally changed the site layout. The old blog theme has been retired, so there’s no going back. I chose this theme from more than 100 designs because it’s simple, clean and bright.

I like the new design but I’m still working out the kinks. I hope you like it. The same content should be in roughly the same place, in roughly the same order.

Changes:
• Site is brighter
• NCAA header image was removed
• Column widths are slightly narrower
• Can no longer see the right column (links, pages, etc.) when you click on an individual post
I’m trying to rectify the latter two changes.

Today I posted my predictions for each conference around the country and my expanded preseason top 10. Earlier this week I updated all 2013 pages on the right rail, including the Standings, Matchups (2013) page that highlights many key matches on tap for Aug. 30-Sept. 8.

-Ricky Nelson

Ricky Nelson’s 2013 preseason top 10 (expanded)

As most know I post my weekly top 10 during the regular season, and the preseason top 10 provides a wider scope. It’s not an exhaustive list of every team I would like to rank, but lists have to end somewhere.

If you ask yourself, “Who?” with any of the following teams, look them up. I may very well be wrong about these teams this year, but here are my hunches several weeks before the season’s first serve.

1. St. Thomas
2. Puget Sound
3. Saint Benedict
4. Wittenberg
5. Calvin
6. Wisconsin-Whitewater
7. Elmhurst
8. Washington-St. Louis
9. Wartburg
10. Mount Union
My next 30 (in no particular order): Otterbein; Chicago; Emory; Hope; Cal Lutheran; Colorado College; Cornell; Juniata; Christopher Newport; Northwestern; Eastern; Benedictine; Pacific Lutheran; Trinity (Texas); Washington and Lee; Carthage; Concordia-Moorhead; Clarkson; Webster; Chapman; Middlebury; Wisconsin-Eau Claire; Bowdoin; Wisconsin-Stevens Point; Thomas More; Southwestern; Cortland State; DePauw; Wellesley; Stevenson.

-Ricky Nelson

Predicting Pool A winners: 2013 edition

This is my third season of predicting each Pool A conference winner. I count it as a success if my predicted champion wins the regular season and/or the tournament. Tell me where I’m wrong with my 2013 predictions.

Past season predictions:
2011: 31-of-42
2012: 30-of-42

Links below are to each conference’s women’s volleyball page.

Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference
2010 regular season champ: Pitt-Bradford
2010 tournament champ: Pitt-Bradford
2011 predicted champion: Penn State Altoona
2011 regular season champ: Penn State Altoona
2011 tournament champ: Penn State Altoona
2012 predicted champion: Medaille
2012 regular season champ: Penn State Behrend
2012 tournament champ: Medaille
2013 predicted champion: Penn State Behrend

American Southwest Conference
2010 regular season champ: Texas Lutheran, Hardin-Simmons (West); Texas-Dallas (East)
2010 tournament champ: Hardin-Simmons
2011 predicted champion: Hardin-Simmons (West), Texas-Dallas (East)
2011 regular season champ: McMurry (West), Texas-Dallas (East)
2011 tournament champ: Hardin-Simmons
2012 predicted champion: Hardin-Simmons (West), Texas Dallas (East)
2012 regular season champ: Hardin-Simmons (West), Texas Dallas (East)
2012 tournament champ: Hardin-Simmons
2013 predicted champion: East Texas Baptist (East); Hardin-Simmons

Capital Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Frostburg
2010 tournament champ: Frostburg
2011 predicted champion: Mary Washington (3rd in regular season, 3rd in tournament)
2011 regular season champ: Salisbury
2011 tournament champ: Salisbury
2012 predicted champion: Salisbury
2012 regular season champ: Salisbury
2012 tournament champ: Salisbury
2013 predicted champion: Salisbury Christopher Newport

Centennial Conference
2010 regular season champ: Haverford
2010 tournament champ: Franklin & Marshall
2011 predicted champion: Johns Hopkins
2011 regular season champ: Johns Hopkins
2011 tournament champ: Johns Hopkins
2012 predicted champion: Franklin & Marshall
2012 regular season champ: Franklin & Marshall, Johns Hopkins
2012 tournament champ: Johns Hopkins
2013 predicted champion: Johns Hopkins

City University of New York Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Hunter
2010 tournament champ: Hunter
2011 predicted champion: Hunter
2011 regular season champ: Hunter
2011 tournament champ: Baruch
2012 predicted champion: Baruch
2012 regular season champ: Baruch
2012 tournament champ: Baruch
2013 predicted champion: Baruch

College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin
2010 regular season champ: Millikin
2010 tournament champ: Carthage
2011 predicted champion: Carthage
2011 regular season champ: Carthage
2011 tournament champ: Carthage
2012 predicted champion: Elmhurst
2012 regular season champ: Elmhurst
2012 tournament champ: Elmhurst
2013 predicted champion: Elmhurst

Colonial States Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Cabrini
2010 tournament champ: Cabrini
2011 predicted champion: Neumann (2nd in regular season, 2nd in tournament)
2011 regular season champ: Cabrini
2011 tournament champ: Cabrini
2012 predicted champion: Cabrini (2nd in regular season, 2nd in tournament)
2012 regular season champ: Neumann
2012 tournament champ: Neumann
2013 predicted champion: Cabrini

Commonwealth Coast Conference
2010 regular season champ: Roger Williams
2010 tournament champ: Roger Williams
2011 predicted champion: Roger Williams
2011 regular season champ: Roger Williams
2011 tournament champ: Roger Williams
2012 predicted champion: Roger Williams
2012 regular season champ: Roger Williams
2012 tournament champ: Roger Williams
2013 predicted champion: Roger Williams

Commonwealth Conference
2010 regular season champ: Elizabethtown
2010 tournament champ: Lebanon Valley
2011 predicted champion: Elizabethtown (5th in regular season, DNP in tournament)
2011 regular season champ: Messiah
2011 tournament champ: Lebanon Valley
2012 predicted champion: Messiah (2nd in regular season, 2nd in tournament)
2012 regular season champ: Stevenson
2012 tournament champ: Stevenson
2013 predicted champion: Stevenson

Empire 8
2010 regular season champ: Ithaca
2010 tournament champ: Ithaca
2011 predicted champion: Ithaca (5th in regular season, DNP in tournament)
2011 regular season champ: Elmira
2011 tournament champ: Nazareth
2012 predicted champion: Elmira
2012 regular season champ: Elmira, Stevens
2012 tournament champ: Nazareth
2013 predicted champion: Stevens

Freedom Conference
2010 regular season champ: Eastern
2010 tournament champ: Eastern
2011 predicted champion: Eastern
2011 regular season champ: Eastern
2011 tournament champ: Eastern
2012 predicted champion: Eastern
2012 regular season champ: Eastern
2012 tournament champ: Eastern
2013 predicted champion: Eastern

Great Northeast Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Johnson & Wales
2010 tournament champ: Johnson & Wales
2011 predicted champion: Rivier
2011 regular season champ: Emerson
2011 tournament champ: Rivier
2012 predicted champion: Rivier
2012 regular season champ: Rivier
2012 tournament champ: Emerson
2013 predicted champion: Rivier

Great South Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Huntingdon
2010 tournament champ: Piedmont
2011 predicted champion: Huntingdon (5th in regular season, 3rd in tournament)
2011 regular season champ: Maryville
2011 tournament champ: Maryville
2012 predicted champion: Agnes Scott (2nd in regular season, 3rd in tournament)
2012 regular season champ: Huntingdon
2012 tournament champ: Salem
2013 predicted champion: Salem

Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Transylvania
2010 tournament champ: Mount St. Joseph
2011 predicted champion: Transylvania
2011 regular season champ: Rose-Hulman, Bluffton, Hanover, Transylvania, Mount St. Joseph
2011 tournament champ: Rose-Hulman
2012 predicted champion: Hanover (5th in regular season, 5th in tournament)
2012 regular season champ: Mount St. Joseph, Transylvania
2012 tournament champ: Mount St. Joseph
2013 predicted champion: Transylvania

Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Loras
2010 tournament champ: Wartburg
2011 predicted champion: Wartburg (2nd in regular season, 3rd in tourament)
2011 regular season champ: Coe
2011 tournament champ: Cornell
2012 predicted champion: Wartburg
2012 regular season champ: Wartburg
2012 tournament champ: Wartburg
2013 predicted champion: Wartburg

Landmark Conference
2010 regular season champ: Juniata
2010 tournament champ: Juniata
2011 predicted champion: Juniata
2011 regular season champ: Juniata
2011 tournament champ: Juniata
2012 predicted champion: Juniata
2012 regular season champ: Juniata
2012 tournament champ: Juniata
2013 predicted champion: Juniata

Liberty League
[An anonymous comment said the LL is Pool A in 2013]
2012 regular season champ: Skidmore
2012 tourney champ: Clarkson
2013 predicted champ: Clarkson

Little East Conference
2010 regular season champ: UMass Boston
2010 tournament champ: UMass Boston
2011 predicted champion: UMass Boston
2011 regular season champ: Plymouth State, UMass Boston
2011 tournament champ: UMass Boston
2012 predicted champion: UMass Boston
2012 regular season champ: UMass Boston, Western Connecticut State
2012 tournament champ: UMass Boston
2013 predicted champion: Western Connecticut State

Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Westfield State
2010 tournament champ: Westfield State
2011 predicted champion: Westfield State
2011 regular season champ: Westfield State
2011 tournament champ: Westfield State
2012 predicted champion: Framingham State
2012 regular season champ: Framingham State
2012 tournament champ: Framingham State
2013 predicted champion: Framingham State

Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association
2010 regular season champ: Hope
2010 tournament champ: Hope
2011 predicted champion: Calvin
2011 regular season champ: Calvin
2011 tournament champ: Calvin
2012 predicted champion: Hope (2nd in regular season, 2nd in tournament)
2012 regular season champ: Calvin
2012 tournament champ: Calvin
2013 predicted champion: Calvin

Midwest Conference
2010 regular season champ: Monmouth
2010 tournament champ: Beloit
2011 predicted champion: St. Norbert
2011 regular season champ: St. Norbert
2011 tournament champ: St. Norbert
2012 predicted champion: St. Norbert (2nd in regular season, 2nd in tournament)
2012 regular season champ: Cornell
2012 tournament champ: Cornell
2013 predicted champion: Cornell

Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: St. Olaf
2010 tournament champ: St. Olaf
2011 predicted champion: Concordia-Moorhead
2011 regular season champ: Concordia-Moorhead, St. Thomas
2011 tournament champ: Concordia-Moorhead
2012 predicted champion: St. Thomas
2012 regular season champ: St. Thomas
2012 tournament champ: St. Thomas
2013 predicted champion: St. Thomas

New England Collegiate Conference
2010 regular season champ: Daniel Webster
2010 tournament champ: Lesley
2011 predicted champion: Daniel Webster (3rd in regular season, 3rd in tournament)
2011 regular season champ: Southern Vermont
2011 tournament champ: Southern Vermont
2012 predicted champion: Southern Vermont
2012 regular season champ: Southern Vermont
2012 tournament champ: Southern Vermont
2013 predicted champion: Southern Vermont

New England Small College Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Amherst
2010 tournament champ: Middlebury
2011 predicted champion: Amherst (4th in regular season, 5th in tournament)
2011 regular season champ: Bowdoin
2011 tournament champ: Bowdoin
2012 predicted champion: Tufts (6th in regular season, 5th in tournament)
2012 regular season champ: Connecticut College, Middlebury, Bowdoin
2012 tournament champ: Middlebury
2013 predicted champion: Bowdoin

New England Women’s and Men’s Athletics Conference
2010 regular season champ: Springfield
2010 tournament champ: Coast Guard
2011 predicted champion: Coast Guard
2011 regular season champ: Springfield, Coast Guard
2011 tournament champ: Springfield
2012 predicted champion: Coast Guard (4th in regular season, 3rd in tournament)
2012 regular season champ: Wellesley
2012 tournament champ: MIT
2013 predicted champion: Wellesley

New Jersey Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Richard Stockton
2010 tournament champ: Richard Stockton
2011 predicted champion: Richard Stockton
2011 regular season champ: Richard Stockton
2011 tournament champ: Richard Stockton
2012 predicted champion: Richard Stockton
2012 regular season champ: Richard Stockton
2012 tournament champ: Richard Stockton
2013 predicted champion: Richard Stockton

North Atlantic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Maine Maritime
2010 tournament champ: Maine Maritime
2011 predicted champion: Maine Maritime (2nd in regular season, 2nd in tournament)
2011 regular season champ: Colby-Sawyer
2011 tournament champ: Colby-Sawyer
2012 predicted champion: Maine Maritime (3rd in regular season, 2nd in tournament)
2012 regular season champ: Colby-Sawyer
2012 tournament champ: Colby-Sawyer
2013 predicted champion: Colby-Sawyer

North Coast Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Wittenberg
2010 tournament champ: Wittenberg
2011 predicted champion: Wittenberg
2011 regular season champ: Wittenberg
2011 tournament champ: Wittenberg
2012 predicted champion: Wittenberg
2012 regular season champ: Wittenberg
2012 tournament champ: Wittenberg
2013 predicted champion: Wittenberg

North Eastern Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Keuka (North), Gallaudet (South)
2010 tournament champ: Gallaudet
2011 predicted champion: Gallaudet
2011 regular season champ: Penn State Berks
2011 tournament champ: Gallaudet
2012 predicted champion: Gallaudet
2012 regular season champ: Gallaudet
2012 tournament champ: Gallaudet
2013 predicted champion: Gallaudet

Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference
2010 regular season champ: Concordia (Wis.)
2010 tournament champ: Dominican
2011 predicted champion: Edgewood
2011 regular season champ: Dominican
2011 tournament champ: Edgewood
2012 predicted champion: Dominican (3rd in regular season, 3rd in tournament)
2012 regular season champ: Edgewood, Benedictine
2012 tournament champ: Benedictine
2013 predicted champion: Benedictine

Northwest Conference (no tourney)
2010 regular season champ: Whitworth
2011 predicted champion: Whitworth
2011 regular season champ: Whitworth
2012 predicted champion: Pacific Lutheran
2012 regular season champ: Pacific Lutheran
2013 predicted champion: Puget Sound

Ohio Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Heidelberg
2010 tournament champ: Heidelberg
2011 predicted champion: Heidelberg
2011 regular season champ: Heidelberg
2011 tournament champ: Mount Union
2012 predicted champion: Heidelberg (4th in regular season, 3rd in tournament)
2012 regular season champ: Mount Union
2012 tournament champ: Otterbein
2013 predicted champion: Mount Union

Old Dominion Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Washington and Lee
2010 tournament champ: Randolph-Macon
2011 predicted champion: Washington and Lee
2011 regular season champ: Washington and Lee
2011 tournament champ: Randolph-Macon
2012 predicted champion: Randolph-Macon
2012 regular season champ: Randolph-Macon
2012 tournament champ: Washington and Lee
2013 predicted champion: Washington and Lee

Presidents’ Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Thomas More
2010 tournament champ: Thomas More
2011 predicted champion: Thomas More (3rd in regular season, 3rd in tournament)
2011 regular season champ: Geneva
2011 tournament champ: Geneva
2012 predicted champion: Geneva (4th in regular season, 5th in tournament)
2012 regular season champ: Thomas More
2012 tournament champ: Thomas More
2013 predicted champion: Thomas More

Skyline Conference
2010 regular season champ: Mount Saint Mary
2010 tournament champ: NYU-Poly
2011 predicted champion: Mount Saint Mary
2011 regular season champ: Mount Saint Mary
2011 tournament champ: NYU-Poly
2012 predicted champion: Mount Saint Mary
2012 regular season champ: Mount Saint Mary
2012 tournament champ: Mount Saint Mary
2013 predicted champion: Sage

Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Cal Lutheran
2010 tournament champ: Cal Lutheran
2011 predicted champion: Occidental
2011 regular season champ: Cal Lutheran
2011 tournament champ: Occidental
2012 predicted champion: Cal Lutheran
2012 regular season champ: Cal Lutheran
2012 tournament champ: Cal Lutheran
2013 predicted champion: Cal Lutheran

Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Colorado College
2010 tournament champ: Colorado College
2011 predicted champion: Southwestern
2011 regular season champ: Southwestern
2011 tournament champ: Colorado College
2012 predicted champion: Colorado College
2012 regular season champ: Colorado College, Trinity (Texas)
2012 tournament champ: Colorado College
2013 predicted champion: Trinity (Texas)

St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Greenville
2010 tournament champ: Greenville
2011 predicted champion: Greenville
2011 regular season champ: Webster, Greenville
2011 tournament champ: Webster
2012 predicted champion: Greenville
2012 regular season champ: Greenville, Webster
2012 tournament champ: Webster
2013 predicted champion: Webster

State University of New York Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Cortland (East), Fredonia (West)
2010 tournament champ: Cortland
2011 predicted champion: Cortland (East), Fredonia (West)
2011 regular season champ: Cortland (East), Fredonia (West)
2011 tournament champ: Cortland
2012 predicted champion: Cortland (East), Fredonia (West)
2012 regular season champ: Cortland (East), Buffalo State (West)
2012 tournament champ: Cortland
2013 predicted champions: New Paltz State; Buffalo State (West)

University Athletic Association
2010 regular season champ: Emory
2010 tournament champ: Emory
2011 predicted champion: Emory
2011 regular season champ: Emory
2011 tournament champ: Washington-St. Louis
2012 predicted champion: Washington-St. Louis
2012 regular season champ: Emory, Chicago, Washington-St. Louis
2012 tournament champ: Emory
2013 predicted champion: Washington-St. Louis

Upper Midwest Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: St. Scholastica
2010 tournament champ: Northwestern
2011 predicted champion: St. Scholastica
2011 regular season champ: St. Scholastica, Northwestern
2011 tournament champ: St. Scholastica
2012 predicted champion: St. Scholastica (2nd in regular season, 2nd in tournament)
2012 regular season champ: Northwestern
2012 tournament champ: Northwestern
2013 predicted champion: Northwestern

USA South Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Christopher Newport
2010 tournament champ: Christopher Newport
2011 predicted champion: Christopher Newport
2011 regular season champ: Christopher Newport
2011 tournament champ: Christopher Newport
2012 predicted champion: Christopher Newport
2012 regular season champ: Christopher Newport
2012 tournament champ: Christopher Newport
2013 predicted champions: Christopher Newport Averett (North); Maryville (South)

Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
2010 regular season champ: Wisconsin-Eau Claire
2010 tournament champ: Wisconsin-Platteville
2011 predicted champion: Wisconsin-Platteville (4th in regular season, 4th in tournament)
2011 regular season champ: UW-Stevens Point, UW-Whitewater, UW-Eau Claire
2011 tournament champ: Wisconsin-Whitewater
2012 predicted champion: Wisconsin-Stevens Point
2012 regular season champ: Wisconsin-Stevens Point
2012 tournament champ: Wisconsin-Eau Claire
2013 predicted champion: Wisconsin-Whitewater

-Ricky Nelson

MSOE chooses new coach

MSOE named Wayne Schultz as its new head coach. It’s the first collegiate head coaching job for Schultz, who will coach both the women’s and men’s programs.

Wisconsin-Stevens Point still has not announced its new hire.

I plan to get cracking on my preseason rankings. Look for that in the coming weeks.

-Ricky Nelson