2023 North Idaho College Women's Volleyball Season Preview
Coeur d'Alene, ID - Coming off a 27-6 record and a fourth-place finish in the NWAC Championships last season, North Idaho College volleyball, along with a new head coach, gets their first taste of regular season action at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 29 when they take on Bellevue College at NIC's Coeur d'Alene campus.
Shortly after last season, NIC Head Volleyball Coach Kelsey Stanley stepped down after nine years with the program and former Assistant Coach Brittany Tilleman was hired to fill her role.
The Cardinals enter the season with five returning players including 2022 NWAC First Team All-Star Rylee Hartwig and Second Team All-Star Jessica Stires, along with 10 freshmen.
"Our returners have a hunger to get back and compete for an NWAC title, and the freshmen have jumped right on board for that as well," Tilleman said. "It's going to be a fun season. We will have highs and lows like any team, and we will work hard through it all."
After being upset by NWAC East Region rival Columbia Basin in last year's tournament, this season will be the Cardinals' final opportunity to capture an NWAC championship as all NIC sports transition back to the NJCAA next summer. Tilleman said she expects her incoming group to thrive both this year and next.
"We're settling into understanding our roles and this freshman class is going to do big things this year," Tilleman said. "That will help us roll right into the NJCAA being competitive,"
Tilleman played for the Cardinals in NIC's last year in the NJCAA and the first year in the NWAC.
The Cardinals play their first NWAC East Region match at home against Wenatchee Valley College at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 20 and conclude the season with a home match against Columbia Basin College at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 3.
"We are going to be really fun to watch," Tilleman said. "The speed and energy our team has in every practice is going to roll right into games and people won't want to miss it."
For more information, visit nicathletics.com