INDIANAPOLIS – Lewis University and Rockhurst University have been selected to win their respective divisions for the 2016 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Volleyball season, it was announced by the league office on Tuesday. The Conference's preseason polls reflect the opinions of the GLVC head coaches, who awarded the Flyers 12 first-place votes in the East and the Hawks 15 in the West.
The GLVC regular season will again feature an East and West Division with the top-three teams from each side and two wild cards earning a berth to the eight-team GLVC Volleyball Championship Tournament on Nov. 18-20 at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria, Illinois.
The Flyers earned 115 points to top the East Division after winning the 2015 GLVC Championship crown. Head coach Lorelee Smith enters her 10th season at Lewis and brings back the 2015 GLVC Libero of the Year, Nicole Yuede, to the lineup as well as junior middle hitter Aly Schneider. Schneider and Yuede were both Second Team All-GLVC selections last fall.
McKendree (102) and Indianapolis (101) both earned two first-place votes in the poll, but the Bearcats edged the Greyhounds by just one point in the East standings to take second. McKendree returns under the direction of third-year skipper Nickie Sanlin, while Jason Reed will lead UIndy in his 4th year. McKendree brings back last year’s GLVC Player of the Year Arela Williams, a junior outside hitter, and UIndy sophomore setter Maggie Gibson is back as the reigning GLVC Freshman of the Year.
Rockhurst earned 120 points and 15 first-place votes to top the West Division poll. The Hawks return to the court led by veteran head coach, Tracy Rietzke, who stands second all-time among NCAA DII women’s volleyball coaches for total victories (1,153). Despite the loss of 2015’s AVCA DII Player of the Year, Preecy Seever, Rockhurst returns two All-GLVC team members in senior outside hitter Morgan Rietzke and junior libero Anne Hellwege. The pair was integral in the Hawks’ perfect 18-0 league record and impressive run to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals last season.
Missouri S&T took the second spot in the West with 97 points, and will be under the continuing tutelage of 10th-year headman Jason Holt. Truman State garnered the other first-place vote and 90 points to be third in the preseason ranks out of the West, entering 2016 led by eighth-year head coach Ben Briney.
University of Wisconsin-Parkside (72) and University of Southern Indiana (70) were next in the East at fourth and fifth, respectively, while University of Illinois Springfield (42), Bellarmine University (38) and Saint Joseph’s College (28) rounded out the preseason poll. In the West, Drury University and University of Missouri-St. Louis were voted fourth and fifth best with 80 and 64 points, respectively, followed by Quincy University (59), William Jewell College (31) and Maryville University (27) that filled out the final three spots.
Be sure to follow @GLVCsports on Twitter and Instagram – hashtag #GLVCvb – and stay tuned for complete coverage of all home league games throughout the season on the GLVC Sports Network.
| 2016 Volleyball East Division Preseason Poll |
| 1. Lewis |
115 (12) |
| 2. McKendree |
102 (2) |
| 3. Indianapolis |
101 (2) |
| 4. UW-Parkside |
72 |
| 5. Southern Indiana |
70 |
| 6. Illinois Springfield |
42 |
| 7. Bellarmine |
38 |
| 8. Saint Joseph's |
28 |
| 2016 Volleyball West Division Preseason Poll |
| 1. Rockhurst |
120 (15) |
| 2. Missouri S&T |
97 |
| 3. Truman State |
90 (1) |
| 4. Drury |
80 |
| 5. Missouri St. Louis |
64 |
| 6. Quincy |
59 |
| 7. William Jewell |
31 |
| 8. Maryville |
27 |