ST. LOUIS - Bradley senior Grant Bell (Little Falls, Minn./Little Falls H.S.) has been named preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference, according to a league-wide vote of head coaches announced by the MVC Thursday.

In addition to the 12-player all-conference team, The Valley released its preseason coaches poll Thursday and Bradley checked in at fourth, but with one first-place vote. Defending tournament champion SIU Edwardsville was picked to win the league, while defending regular-season champion Missouri State was second in the poll. Both teams received three first-place votes.

Bell has been one of the league's top defenders throughout his Bradley career, earning second-team All-MVC honors in both 2013 and 2014, as well as third-team NSCAA All-Midwest Region accolades last season. Already with a proven knack for scoring with six goals and nine assists while primarily playing in the back, Bell is transitioning to the top of Bradley's attack in his senior season. The move showed early promise when he scored less than six minutes into Bradley's preseason opener last Saturday at Marquette.

Bradley, which is working 16 freshmen into the mix, is 0-1-1 in a pair of preseason games against Big East Conference member programs Marquette and No. 6 Creighton and the Braves will conclude their exhibition schedule Saturday by visiting No. 25 Akron. Bradley will open the 2015 regular season Aug. 28 at Illinois-Chicago, then will start a 3-game home stand Aug. 30 by hosting Houston Baptist for a 7 p.m. match at Shea Stadium.