BROOKLYN, N.Y. --- The Northeast Conference (NEC) has released its preseason poll for women's volleyball and LIU Brooklyn has been predicted to repeat as the top team in the conference.
The Blackbirds received half of the league's eight first-place votes in a poll of the NEC's head coaches to finish ahead of Sacred Heart (two votes) and Central Connecticut (two votes) in the preseason rankings. LIU finished second in the regular season standings in 2016 before defeating Bryant in four sets and rallying for a five-set victory over top-seeded SHU in the NEC Tournament. The conference crown was the Blackbirds' first since 2014, fourth in five years and NEC-record tenth overall over the last 13 seasons.
LIU returns eight players from last year's title team and adds five newcomers to a squad looking to repeat for the first time since winning three straight NEC crowns from 2012-14. Two of those returners are junior Viktoria Fink and sophomore Amanda Hubbard, who were named Second Team All-NEC in 2016.
Fink earned her first NEC postseason honor after finishing in the top 10 in kills during conference play (2.88 per set against NEC opponents) and being one of four Blackbirds to record at least six double-doubles on the season, including career highs of 19 kills and 17 digs at CCSU on November 6.
In addition to making an All-NEC team, Hubbard was selected to the NEC All-Tournament team and named Molten/NEC Rookie of the Week a league-high four times in 2016. She led the conference with a 9.41 assists per set average. (10.62 assists per set in NEC play) and paced the team with nine double-doubles. Hubbard logged 847 assists, including a conference-high 54 assists against Robert Morris on November 13.
The Blackbirds will open the 2017 campaign on the road on August 25 as part of the University of Georgia Benson Invitational in Athens, Ga.