INDIANAPOLIS – Lewis University has been selected to win the 2018 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Volleyball season, it was announced by the league office Thursday. The Conference's preseason poll reflects the opinions of the GLVC head coaches, who awarded the Flyers 11 of the possible 13 first-place votes, as league policy prohibits coaches from voting for their own team.
The GLVC regular season will feature an 18-match schedule this fall where each team will play all 13 opponents at least once. The regular season champion, along with the next seven best teams based on Conference winning percentage, will earn a berth to the eight-team GLVC Volleyball Championship Tournament on Nov. 8-10 at the EastSide Centre in East Peoria, Illinois.
The Flyers repeated as preseason favorites, earning 180 points to top the poll. Additionally, Lewis was picked sixth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division II Preseason Poll last week, garnering one first-place vote. Head coach Lorelee Smith enters her 12th season at Lewis after guiding her 2017 squad to its 10th league title and third in the last four years. The Flyers will return a pair of All-GLVC first-team seniors in setter Abby Becker and attacker Elizabeth Hyland, along with second-team junior attacker Alexandra Pruess.
Rockhurst University picked up the other three first-place votes in the poll and 171 points to be ranked second in the preseason. The Hawks were narrowly defeated, 3-2, by Lewis in the GLVC Championship final but made a magical run in the NCAA Tournament, advancing all the way to the national semifinal. Coming back to veteran mentor Tracy Rietzke’s lineup will be a trio of All-GLVC second-team junior attackers in Alyssa Woodman, Karli Reichert and Mary Rolf.
No. 3 Illinois Springfield earned 149 points and its highest-ever predicted finish since beginning Conference competition in 2009. The Prairie Stars will return two All-GLVC picks in senior attackers Alyssa Hasler and Taylor Bauer and ranked ahead of fourth-place McKendree University (128), which welcomes back a first-team All-GLVC pick in senior setter Morgan Melchert. The Bearcats edged Bellarmine University (125) in the poll by only three points, while the No. 5 Knights were ahead of sixth-place Truman State University (121) by four points. Bellarmine will be led by 2017 GLVC Coach of the Year Jenni Grzebin and returns the back-to-back GLVC Libero of the Year, Jordyn Kuchenbrod, along with reigning GLVC Freshman of the Year, Abigail Oetting.
The University of Missouri-St. Louis was picked seventh with 115 points, while University of Indianapolis picked up 105 points and eighth place. Drury University collected 99 points for ninth, and University of Southern Indiana (72) rounded out the top-10 group at No. 10. Quincy University came in at No. 11 with 62 points, Missouri S&T (55) was picked 12th, William Jewell College (48) was chosen No. 13, and Maryville University garnered the final 26 points for 14th.
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 GLVCSN.com.
The complete poll follows below.
2018 GLVC VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON POLL
| Rank |
School |
Points (1st-place votes) |
| 1. |
Lewis |
180 (11) |
| 2. |
Rockhurst |
171 (3) |
| 3. |
Illinois Springfield |
149 |
| 4. |
McKendree |
128 |
| 5. |
Bellarmine |
125 |
| 6. |
Truman State |
121 |
| 7. |
Missouri-St. Louis |
115 |
| 8. |
Indianapolis |
105 |
| 9. |
Drury |
99 |
| 10. |
Southern Indiana |
72 |
| 11. |
Quincy |
62 |
| 12. |
Missouri S&T |
55 |
| 13. |
William Jewell |
48 |
| 14. |
Maryville |
26 |