LEXINGTON, Ky. - For the second year in a row, Concordia-St. Paul volleyball was picked first in the AVCA Division II Preseason Coaches Poll, as announced by the American Volleyball Coaches Association on Monday.

Last year, the Golden Bears picked up 25 of a possible 48 first place votes and backed up the preseason prediction by securing the program's eighth NCAA Division II championship and its first since winning an NCAA volleyball record seven in a row from 2007 to 2013.

This year, Concordia secured 38 of the 48 first place votes for 1149 points with conference member Southwest Minnesota State taking the second spot with four first place votes and 1125 points in the poll. The two teams finished last year 1-2 in the final poll.

The 2017 team returns just three starters and eight letterwinners from its' 2016 championship squad and loses six key contributors including five former All-Americans. All six players departing last year's roster started at least 15 of the team's 37 matches and include the setter and libero.

But the returners not only have in-game experience with five players starting at least one match last year, but three who started at least 17 times along with the key experience of competing against the starting lineup regularly in practice - and holding their own.

The Golden Bears face a rigid schedule when league play commences with the NSIC featuring three of the top-5, five of the top-10 and seven of the top-24 teams in the country (#1, #2, #5, #7, #10, #13, #24).

Under 15th year head coach Brady Starkey, the Golden Bears jump right into competition, too, facing #12 Western Washington in the season opener in Lakeland, Fla. on Friday, September 1 and concluding the trip by playing at #17 Tampa on the Spartans' home court. The preseason trip also features a pair of teams receiving votes for the preseason poll, at Florida Southern and against Central Washington. Florida Southern is the top team left out of the top-25 and receiving votes (75).

On the second non-conference weekend at the prestigious Colorado Premier Challenge in Denver (Sept. 8-9), CSP faces a West Florida team with the third most points in the receiving votes section before taking on #8 Lewis which leads into pool play where traditionally more nationally-ranked opposition awaits.

In all, CSP has 10 contests against AVCA Presason Top-25 teams.

With Starkey and top assistant coach George Padjen at the helm, Concordia has compiled a 465-46 overall record and a 247-13 mark in the Northern Sun and reached at least the NCAA Sweet Sixteen (regional championship match) in 13 of 14 years with 13 conference titles and 10 regional championships. Starkey's .910 career winning percentage makes him the winningest active NCAA volleyball coach (all divisions). The Golden Bears are 61-6 (.910) all-time in 14 trips to the NCAA Tournament.