INDIANAPOLIS – From the North Division and South Division, Hillsdale and Cedarville were announced as favorites in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour on Friday.
Six teams are in the North and South as coaches ranked both divisions on their predicted order of finish for the regular season.
Riding a streak of four consecutive conference tournament titles, including the most recent spring crown, Hillsdale was slotted as the unanimous choice of the North Division with 11 first-place votes and 62 points.
The Chargers were 16-1 overall and finished with an undefeated 11-0 mark through the league schedule. Additionally, Hillsdale gained valuable experience competing in the AVCA National Tournament while going 4-2 and winning the Silver Bracket final in five sets over Gannon.
In February, Hillsdale climbed to the pinnacle of the AVCA Poll with a No. 1 national ranking and head coach Chris Gravel’s program is locked and loaded for what many perceive to be an NCAA Championship contending season. All of the ingredients are back including former conference players of the year Allyssa Van Wienen in the middle and Karoline Shelton on the outside. The healthy return of setter Lindsey Mertz will also be key running the offense.
Looking at the North Division further, conference tournament semifinalist Walsh received the other first-place vote to rank second; the Cavaliers had top performers including setter Olivia Kearns (assists), Olivia Macuszak (points) and Grace Lindquist (hitting percentage).
Findlay was picked third and returns spring freshman of the year Hannah Warrington. Ursuline, Malone and Lake Erie, were ranked in order in the North as two programs go through coaching changes (Lee Anderson at LEC, Rafael Gonzalez at MU).
Three different teams received at least one first-place vote in the South Division.
The South Division is paced by Greg Smith’s Yellow Jackets of Cedarville while receiving seven first-place votes for a total of 56 points. Cedarville finished 9-4 in the spring as Lauren Willow emerged as the league leader in hitting percentage and was top 10 in points per set. Liene Miller was third in the conference in points per set and gives the program a formidable presence up front.
Tiffin emerged as a conference championship finalist in the spring and the Dragons go into the fall as the South preseason runner-up with four first-place votes. Middle Grace Schreiber led all players in total blocks (51) while ranking 10th in the league in points per set (3.44).
Conference newcomer Ashland is also projected to be in the mix with one first-place vote and the Eagles are coached by Kevin Foeman, who went 9-8 and also competed in the AVCA National Tournament this spring with wins against Arkansas Fort Smith and Henderson State.
Ohio Dominican goes into year two under conference co-coach of the year Amy Bambenek as the Panthers qualified for the postseason for the first time as a league member. Another playoff qualifying team from the South was Trevecca Nazarene. TNU’s Ellie Buffler led the Great Midwest in points per set (4.36) and middle Austyn Baldwin trailed only Cedarville’s Willow in hitting percentage among all players. Kentucky Wesleyan was picked sixth in the South as the Panthers look to get back on track this fall.
The Great Midwest had a strong national presence in the spring with as many as five programs ranked in the AVCA Top 25 in early February. The Midwest Region figures to be a tough road once again to gain national tournament bids, but the sport continues to make strides league wide.
With the Great Midwest serving as host, the Midwest Region Crossover Tournament will be coming to Hammond, Ind., on October 15-16 (Friday-Saturday), with competition from the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
The Great Midwest Championship is going to be a six-team tournament bracket is scheduled to start Tuesday, November 16, while the No. 1 overall seed will serve as host for the semifinals (Friday, Nov. 20) and championship final (Saturday).
2021 Great Midwest Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll presented by Under Armour
North Division
| 1. Hillsdale (11 first-place votes) |
62 points |
| 2. Walsh (1 first-place vote) |
49 points |
| 3. Findlay |
45 points |
| 4. Ursuline |
28 points |
| 5. Malone |
26 points |
| 6. Lake Erie |
11 points |
South Division
| 1. Cedarville (7 first-place votes) |
56 points |
| 2. Tiffin (4 first-place votes) |
46 points |
| 3. Ashland (1 first-place vote) |
45 points |
| 4. Ohio Dominican |
34 points |
| 5. Trevecca Nazarene |
23 points |
| 6. Kentucky Wesleyan |
12 points |