BAY CITY, Mich. – The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) women's volleyball coaches have crowned Grand Valley State University and Ashland University as the teams to beat in the 2014 GLIAC Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll revealed on Thursday (Aug. 14).
Grand Valley State grasped top honors in the North Division for the preseason voting in 2014, with 55 points and seven of the eight possible first-place votes. The Lakers posted a 31-4 record and an impressive 17-1 mark in the GLIAC. Grand Valley made its way to the regional championship match, falling to Ferris State in five sets.
The Bulldogs captured a lone first-place vote and garnered 43 points to finish second. FSU's magical season came to an end when the Bulldogs fell in the Elite Eight to national powerhouse BYU-Hawaii.
Northern Michigan was voted third with 35 points and Saginaw Valley State was a close fourth with 31. Rounding out the top-five was Wayne State with 22 points.
Northwood came in at sixth with 19 points while Michigan Tech totaled 18. Lake Superior State closed out the North voting with eight points.
Ashland University is predicted to win the South Division in 2014 after receiving six first-place votes and 48 points. The Eagles return 2013's Freshman of the Year Alli Cudworth and four All-GLIAC selections.
Hillsdale captured two first-place votes and 43 total points to finish second in the poll. Findlay tallied 38 points, followed by Ohio Dominican in fourth with 29.Malone finished close behind the Panthers with 28 points.
Tiffin picked up 17 points to finish sixth in the voting while Walsh was seventh with 16 points. Lake Erie concluded the voting with eight points.
The GLIAC Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll results are below. First place votes are in parentheses.