OGDEN, Utah—The Idaho women's volleyball starts the 2018 season as the Big Sky Conference favorites, according to a vote by league coaches released on Wednesday. Idaho's No. 1 pick is its top preseason ranking since being picked second in the Western Athletic Conference at the start of the 2013 season. 

Idaho received nine out of 10 first-place votes and 99 total points. Northern Arizona received two first-place tallies and 87 points. Sacramento State was voted third with 78 points. Each coach turned in one ballot and could not vote for their own institution. 

"It is awesome to get the recognition for our program and to be picked to win the conference," head coach Debbie Buchanan said. "Our team has been working extremely hard this offseason and now we have to get ready to get to work starting today to reach our goals. Having six seniors, all who have started over the course of their career have earned this recognition."

The Vandals earned a split of the Big Sky North title last season, finishing 12-4 in the conference. Idaho was the No. 3 seed in the Big Sky Tournament, falling in the semifinals to North Dakota.  

The Silver and Gold have loads of experience return in 2018. Haylee Mathis, Reece Carman, Kaela Straw, Alycia Wodke, DeVonne Ryter and Sarah Sharp form a talent-rich senior class. Sharp, an All-Conference selection in 2017, was among the conference's offensive leaders with 3.66 kills per set. Ryter, a Second Team All-Conference selection last season led Idaho in blocks with 1.12 per set. Wodke was the league's Newcomer of the Year, totaling 4.67 digs per set. 

Idaho returns nine letterwinners in all. The Vandals will also look towards its young talent. The team welcomes Montana transfer Shannon Casale, joining redshirt freshmen Nikki Ball, Rachel Mills and Donnée Janzen. New faces to the squad include Becca Owen, Emily Smith, Allison Munday, Sam Swayze and Kennedy Warren.

Wednesday also marks the first official day of practice for the Vandals. The team will hold two practices a day leading up to the start of classes. 

The Vandals will host the Idaho Volleyball Classic to open the season, Aug. 24-25. Visit GoVandals.com/Tickets for more information on season and single match tickets.

2018 Big Sky Preseason Coaches' Poll

Rank	Team	Points (1st votes)
1	Idaho	99 (9)
2	Northern Arizona	87 (2)
3	Sacramento State	78
4	Portland State	71
5	Weber State	63
6	Northern Colorado	56
7	Idaho State	52
8	Montana State	34
9	Montana	28
10	Southern Utah	20
11	Eastern Washington	17