INDIANAPOLIS – The University of Indianapolis and Drury University men's tennis teams have been selected to win the East and West Divisions, respectively, for the upcoming 2017 Great Lakes Valley Conference season, it was announced by the Conference office Wednesday.
The GLVC Men's Tennis Preseason Poll was voted on by the league head coaches and ranks seven teams in the East and six squads in the West as 13 of the 16 member schools sponsor the sport.
Indianapolis (18-3, 6-0 GLVC) earned all 12 of the 13 first-place votes, as Conference policy prohibits coaches from casting a vote for their own team, and was chosen as a clear favorite to the win the East with 84 total points. The Greyhounds return this year as the defending GLVC Champions, having defeated East Division rival No. 2E Southern Indiana, 5-2, in the finals as the No. 1E seed. It was the eighth league title for the Hounds but the first time in 21 years that they collected the hardware. UIndy enters 2017 ranked No. 31 nationally and second regionally, while junior Christoph Drechsler returns as the third-ranked singles player regionally and is 29th nationally.
Drury (13-9, 5-0 GLVC in 2015-16) is the unanimous selection to win the West Division for the third year in a row, garnering all 12 possible votes. The Panthers totaled 72 points to take the top spot a year after winning the divisional title and making it to the semifinals of the GLVC Championship. No. 28 Drury returns the No. 1 regional and No. 10 national player in senior Max Hepp, as well as two other top-20 regionally ranked student-athletes in Nico Sigloch (10) and Sebastian Amato (15). Hepp and Amato are also ranked second regionally and 15th nationally in doubles
The University of Southern Indiana was the next closest vote getter, garnering 72 points and the remaining first-place vote to finish second in the East Division poll behind UIndy. Lewis University was a close third with 63 points, while McKendree University (45) and Bellarmine University (37) finished fourth and fifth, respectively. The University of Illinois Springfield (30) and Saint Joseph's College (26) rounded out the seven-team field.
In the West Division, the University of Missouri-St. Louis tallied 55 points and the other first-place vote for the second position, while Rockhurst University earned 53 points to hold third. Quincy University (33), William Jewell College (29) and Truman State University (25) rounded out the six-team division in fourth, fifth and sixth, respectively.
The 2017 GLVC Men's Tennis Championship Tournament will be held at the Dwight Davis Tennis Center from April 21-23 in St. Louis, Mo.
The complete 2017 GLVC Men's Tennis Preseason Poll follows below.
| 2017 GLVC Men's Tennis East Division Preseason Poll |
| Team |
Points (1st Place) |
| 1. Indianapolis |
84 (12) |
| 2. Southern Indiana |
72 (1) |
| 3. Lewis |
63 |
| 4. McKendree |
45 |
| 5. Bellarmine |
37 |
| 6. Illinois Springfield |
30 |
| 7. Saint Joseph's |
26 |
| 2017 GLVC Men's Tennis West Division Preseason Poll |
| Team |
Points (1st Place) |
| 1. Drury |
72 (12) |
| 2. Missouri-St. Louis |
55 (1) |
| 3. Rockhurst |
53 |
| 4. Quincy |
33 |
| 5. William Jewell |
29 |
| 6. Truman State |
25 |