HUDSONVILLE, Mich. -- In a preseason poll of nine Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) volleyball coaches, Hope College is anticipated to win the 2023 conference title after tallying a total of eleven points and five first-place votes.

Calvin University was just behind the Flying Dutch with twelve points and the remaining four first-place votes.  Albion College rounded out the top three with 22 points, followed by Adrian College in fourth place with 32 points.  Trine University secured fifth place with 35 points.  Kalamazoo College earned the sixth-place slot with 47 points, followed by Saint Mary's College in seventh place with 50 points.  Alma College (54 points) and The University of Olivet (61 points) concluded the poll in eighth and ninth place, respectively.

Hope was the runner-up last season with a conference record of 7-1 (24-8 overall).  The Flying Dutch roster will feature 2022 First Team All-MIAA honorees Annie Lockett (Jr. | OH) and Lauren Lee (So. | S), along with Second Team player Alison DeWeerd (Jr.| MH).  Lee was voted the 2022 MIAA Newcomer of the Year after finishing league play as the leader with 303 assists and 11.22 assists per set.  She was also deemed the Region 7 Player of the Year by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) and earned AVCA All-America honors along with Lockett.  Hope wrapped the season up in the NCAA Elite 8.

The Knights swept both league (8-0 overall) and tournament competition last year while concluding the 2022 campaign with an overall record of 27-4 and a spot in the NCAA Regional Final.  Calvin's roster will be highlighted by top-returning players Aubrey Wrubel and Gabriella Kellogg.  Wrubel, a graduate student and libero, became a four-time All-MIAA honoree last season after earning a place on the First Team, while also receiving All-America recognition from the AVCA.  She finished conference play as the runner-up in both digs (126) and digs per set (5.04).  Kellogg, a senior outside hitter, also received First Team All-MIAA recognition last season after finishing top five in the league with 79 kills, 3.16 kills per set, a .318 hitting percentage, and 3.5 points per set.

Albion was ranked third in the poll after earning a 6-2 record in MIAA matches (25-6 overall) in 2022.  The Brits will look to two-time All-MIAA honorees Olivia Alexander and Mariah Brenz in their senior season.  Outside hitter Alexander finished the season in the top ten with 77 kills, 2.75 kills per set, 211 total attacks, 95.0 points, and 3.4 points per set.  Brenz was the conference runner-up in assists (282) and finished top ten in the league with 10.07 assists per set and a hitting percentage of .291.

The Bulldogs concluded the 2022 campaign with a 5-3 mark in league play and an overall record of 13-10.  Adrian's roster will be highlighted by junior libero Mya Minjares and junior outside hitter Amber Morris.  Minjares was voted the 2022 MIAA Defensive Player of the Year and became a two-time All-MIAA honoree after finishing conference competition as the leader in both digs (150) and digs per set (5.56).  Morris was named to the 2022 All-MIAA Second Team following top-five finishes in kills (87), kills per set (3.22), total attacks (331), points (100.5), and points per set (3.7).

Trine wrapped up the 2022 season with a 4-4 MIAA record and an overall record of 12-11.  The Thunder roster will feature senior outside hitter Olivia Jolliffe, along with junior outside hitters Catherine Dobies, Francesca Queary, and Cassidy Victor.

The Hornets will be led by interim head coach and former Adrian volleyball player Lydia Christian after finishing with a 3-5 record last season.  Saint Mary's, Alma, and Olivet all concluded the 2022 campaign with a 1-7 mark in league play.  Leah Good will be at the helm of the Scots' program in her first season as head coach.

The 2023 MIAA volleyball season gets underway Friday, September 1.  The league programs will compete in the fourth-annual MIAA-NCAC Crossover on September 8-9 with NCAC schools hosting this year.  Conference play begins on Tuesday, September 26, with Olivet hosting Alma, Albion hosting Hope, and Trine hosting Adrian all at 6:30 p.m., along with a 7:00 p.m. match in which Saint Mary's hosts Kalamazoo. 

Coaches were not permitted to vote for their own teams.