9/1/16: NCC wins twice on opening day

North Central (Ill.) Tri
North Central (Ill.), Eureka, Alma
North Central (Ill.) 3, Eureka 0; North Central (Ill.) 3, Alma 1.

Fontbonne Tri
Fontbonne, Harris-Stowe, Robert Morris-Springfield
Fontbonne 3, Harris-Stowe 0; Robert Morris-Springfield 3, Fontbonne 2.

Nonconference
Concordia Wisconsin 3, Texas Lutheran 1 CUW had 17 aces.
Alverno 3, Mount Mary 0 AC had 17 aces.
St. Xavier 3, Dominican 0 SXU is NAIA.
Webster 3, St. Louis Pharmacy 0 WU had 49 kills.
Spalding 3, Franklin 0 SU’s Heitzman hit 8-0-17 with 10 digs, 3 aces.

Top 25 upset watch
Mary Washington 3, #24 Randolph-Macon 1

-Ricky Nelson

2016 preseason conference polls

Listed below are the preseason favorites, according to Central and Midwest region conference polls. Links are to conference poll releases. My picks, if different, are in parentheses.

CCIW: Illinois Wesleyan (Elmhurst)
IIAC: Loras (Buena Vista)
MIAC: Bethel
MWC: Cornell
NACC: Edgewood (Concordia Wisconsin)
SLIAC: Greenville
UMAC: Northwestern
WIAC: UW-Whitewater

The GSAC and UAA have not done preseason polls traditionally.

-Ricky Nelson

2016 AVCA preseason poll: CLU on top

Defending national champion Cal Lutheran headlines the 2016 AVCA preseason poll. The Regals won their first title last season by downing Wittenberg in the finals.

Wittenberg is the runner-up in the AVCA poll, followed by Juniata in third, Emory fourth and Calvin fifth.

Cal Lutheran received 45 first-place votes while Wittenberg and Juniata got two apiece.

Central and Midwest region teams in the AVCA’s preseason poll: sixth-ranked Washington-St. Louis; eighth-ranked Carthage; 12th-ranked Bethel; 14th-ranked UW-Whitewater; 15th-ranked UW-Stevens Point; 18th-ranked Elmhurst; 19th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan; 23rd-ranked Northwestern; 25th-ranked UW-Oshkosh.

Central and Midwest teams receiving votes in the preseason: Millikin; Saint Benedict; Wartburg; Chicago; Gustavus Adolphus; UW-Eau Claire.

My preseason top 25

-Ricky Nelson