CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Nebraska Wesleyan University volleyball team was picked to finish seventh in the 2019 American Rivers Conference Volleyball Preseason Coaches' poll that was released on Wednesday (Aug. 14).
 
NWU ended in a tie for 7^th in the preseason poll receiving 17 points.  Buena Vista also received 17 points in the vote of the coaches.
 
University of Dubuque is the preseason favorite to win the American Rivers Conference as they garnered 62 points and six first place votes.  The Spartans won the 2018 A-R-C Postseason Tournament to earn a spot in the NCAA III Tournament.  Wartburg College received 58 points and the other three points to come in at No. 2 in the preseason poll.  The Knights were the 2018 regular season conference title.
 
Nebraska Wesleyan head coach Rayna Cain enters her eighth season leading the Prairie Wolves program.  She brings back two starters from the 2018 squad that finished 9-16 overall and 2-6 in conference play.  NWU has six total letterwinners back and is aiming to get back to the postseason tournament after missing out last year for the first time since joining the new league.
 
The Prairie Wolves begin the 2019 season on Aug. 30-31 at the Austin College Invite in Sherman, Texas.  NWU travels to five total tournaments in 2019 covering three different states.  NWU doesn't make their home debut until Sept. 27 when they host the P-Wolf Invitational in Snyder Arena.