Omaha was picked to finish third in the Summit League's preseason poll released Tuesday.

The Mavericks, who garnered 16 points in the voting among the league's coaches, followed reigning conference champion Denver (25 points) and Drake (21) in the projections. It was the third consecutive year in which Omaha was picked to finish third. It placed third, with a 3-2 league mark, last season.

"Although we are excited to receive the third spot in this competitive conference, as a team, we don't focus on preseason polls," Omaha coach Matthew Barlow said. "Anything can happen in our league, and I anticipate there will be some really close matches this year. This year, we have set high conference goals, and we will do our best to achieve them."

North Dakota (12 points), Illinois State (nine) and Oral Roberts (seven) round out the preseason poll.

Additionally, Omaha senior Matt Hulme was selected for the league's Athlete to Watch list after going 4-1 in singles play during league competition last season while also posting a 4-0 mark in doubles matches.

"Matt has been an impact player for our program, possessing national rankings and all-conference honors over the course of his career," Barlow said. "He has spent a ton of extra time working on his tennis and fitness this year, and I'm looking forward to watching that pay off. I know he will leave it all on the court for his team this season."

Omaha opens its season Wednesday with two matches at Arkansas. It travels to Nebraska on Saturday.