HUDSONVILLE, Mich. -- In a preseason poll of nine Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) volleyball coaches, Calvin University is predicted to clinch the 2022 conference title after tallying a total of 10 points and six first-place votes.

Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.

Hope College was just behind Calvin in second place with 13 points and three first-place votes.  Albion College was ranked third with 22 points, followed by Trine University in fourth place with 30 points.  Adrian College rounded out the top five with a total of 37 points.  Saint Mary's College (45 points) edged Alma College (47 points) for sixth place.  Olivet College (59 points) and Kalamazoo College (61 points) concluded the preseason poll in eighth and ninth place, respectively.

Calvin was the winner of the 2021 MIAA Volleyball Tournament and concluded the season with a 7-1 mark in league play (32-4 overall).  Highlighting the Knights' roster are two-time First Team All-MIAA honoree Heidi Westra (Sr. | OH/RS) and 2021 MIAA Freshman of the Year Vanessa Martinez (So. | MH).  Three-time All-MIAA libero Aubrey Wrubel will compete in her senior season on the Calvin squad.

Hope clinched the 2021 regular-season title after finishing with an unblemished league record.  Overall, they concluded the year with a record of 25-5.  The Flying Dutch will look to two-time All-MIAA middle hitter Charlotte Brecht during her fourth season on the team.

Albion (6-2 MIAA, 20-7 overall) is returning two 2021 First Team All-MIAA recipients:  outside hitter Olivia Alexander (Jr.) and two-time All-MIAA middle hitter Chloe Webber (Sr.).  Junior setter Mariah Brenz will also be back on the roster after earning a spot on the All-MIAA Second Team last season.

Trine finished fourth in the 2021 regular season with a 5-3 mark in conference contests and an overall record of 17-16.  The Thunder roster will be headlined by defensive specialist Samantha Carlin who received Second Team All-MIAA accolades last year.

Adrian concluded 2021 with a 3-5 record in MIAA matches and an overall record of 7-19.  Sophomore libero Mya Minjares will return for the Bulldogs after earning a spot on the All-MIAA Second Team last fall.

Junior outside hitter Colleen McCarthy will lead the Saint Mary's squad following All-MIAA Second Team recognition in 2021.  The Belles had a 2-6 record in the conference and an overall record of 7-15.

Alma (3-18 overall) and Olivet (8-15 overall) also finished with a 2-6 mark in league play for a three-way tie at the end, while Kalamazoo (5-19 overall) went 1-7 in the MIAA.  Olivet welcomes first-year head coach Jenessa Hicks and Hunter Bishop will be at the helm of Kalamazoo's program for his first season.

The 2022 MIAA volleyball season gets underway Friday, September 2.  The league programs will compete in the third-annual MIAA-NCAC Crossover on September 9-10 with three pods at the locations of Hope, Trine, and Olivet.  Conference play begins on Tuesday, September 20, with Adrian hosting Trine, Saint Mary's hosting Kalamazoo, Hope hosting Albion, and Alma hosting Olivet all at 6:30 p.m.