The Calvin volleyball team was the near unanimous pick as the top team in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll, as the Knights captured 62 of a possible 63 first-place votes to earn the nod as the top team entering the 2017 campaign. The Knights went 33-1 in 2016, with the season culminating with their NCAA Division III national championship.
Hope, the 2016 MIAA Tournament champions, were ranked 15th nationally in the national coaches organization's preseason poll. The Flying Dutch are coming off a 25-6 season and their ninth consecutive NCAA Division III Championships appearance.
Both Calvin and Hope will start the 2017 campaign Friday, Sept. 1; Calvin will take on three AVCA Top 25 teams at the Trinity (Texas) National Invite, while Hope will compete at the Washington-St. Louis Bear Invitational.
Of note, in non-conference play Calvin will face seven teams ranked in the AVCA preseason top 25, while Hope will challenge five in the top 25 listing, including third-ranked WashU in the season's first weekend.
AVCA 2017 Division III Preseason Top 25
