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Mark down another preseason accolade for the defending NCAA champion Buckeyes.
Ohio State earn all but one first-place voted to finish atop the MIVA Preseason Coaches Poll that was released Thursday.
The Buckeyes ended last season on a 23-match winning streak and claimed their first MIVA championship since 2012 along with their second national title in the last six years. In addition, Ohio State earlier this month was ranked No. 1 in the AVCA preseason national coaches poll and had three players selected as Off the Block/Springbak, Inc. Preseason All-Americans.
Lewis was the only other school to receive a first-place vote in the conference poll and prevented Ohio State from being the unanimous preseason favorite. The Flyers finished with 69 points — 11 points behind the Buckeyes.
Loyola, Ball State and McKendree round-out the top half of the conference’s preseason poll.
This is the first time in McKendree’s four-year program history that it was ranked in the top five of a conference preseason poll.
Ohio State had a conference-best four players named to 2017 Preseason All-MIVA Team that was unveiled Thursday. In addition, Preseason All-American opposite Nicolas Szerszen, the 2016 AVCA National Player of the Year, was voted the 2017 MIVA Preseason Player of the Year.
The MIVA season begins in January and concludes with the eight-team MIVA Tournament in April. The winner of the conference tournament earns an automatic berth to the six-team NCAA Tournament in May at Ohio State.
2017 MIVA Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Ohio State — 80 (8) points
2. Lewis — 69 (1) points
3. Loyola — 62 points
4. Ball State — 53 points
5. McKendree — 47 points
6. Grand Canyon — 39 points
7. Fort Wayne — 24 points
8. Lindenwood — 18 points
9. Quincy — 13 points
2017 Preseason All-MIVA Team
Setter: Christy Blough, Ohio State
Opposite: Miles Johnson, Ohio State
Opposite: Mitch Perinar, Lewis
Outside attacker: Shalev Saada, Grand Canyon
Outside attacker: Brendan Surane, Ball State
Outside attacker: Nicolas Szerszen, Ohio State
Middle attacker: Jeff Jendryk, Loyola
Middle attacker: Jacob Schmeigelt, Lewis
Middle attacker: Matt Walsh, Ball State
Libero: Gabriel Domecus, Ohio State