INDIANAPOLIS – The University of Indianapolis volleyball team claimed its second Great Lakes Valley Conference title in 2009 and has been selected to repeat the feat in 2010 by the league’s 15 head coaches. The Greyhounds were selected as the favorites to claim the 2010 GLVC Volleyball Championship as announced by the league office on Tuesday.
In the annual GLVC Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll, UIndy collected 193 total points and eleven first-place votes. The Greyhounds finished ahead of Lewis and Missouri-St. Louis who finished second and third in the poll, respectively.
UIndy captured the 2009 GLVC league title by defeating host Lewis in the championship game of the GLVC Tournament. The Greyhounds then advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight for the first time in school history by winning the Midwest Regional title.
The Greyhounds, led by head coach Jody Butera, finished the 2009 campaign with a 38-2 overall record and 13-1 mark in league action.
Lewis earned 179 total points and picked up two first-place votes to finish second in the poll. The Flyers (32-5, 14-0 GLVC) finished atop the GLVC regular season standings in 2009. Lewis will be looking for its eighth conference title after winning the crown in three of the past four seasons.
Missouri-St. Louis garnered 163 total points and one first-place votes to grab third place in the preseason poll. The Tritons posted a 21-11 overall record in 2009 and notched an 11-3 league mark.
Northern Kentucky (20-12, 10-4) garnered 158 total points in the poll to finish fourth and Rockhurst (21-14, 9-5) finished fifth with 143 points and the final first-place vote.
Southern Indiana came in sixth in the balloting of the league coaches with 130 total points and was followed by Drury (113 points), Bellarmine (97), UW-Parkside (96), Saint Joseph’s (81), Missouri S&T (74), Quincy (65), Illinois-Springfield (36), Maryville (31) and Kentucky Wesleyan (16).
The GLVC Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll is voted on by the league’s 15 head coaches. Each coach selects their predicted order of finish and is not allowed to vote for their own team.
Teams in the GLVC will compete in a round-robin schedule in 2010 and the top eight teams in the standings will advance to the GLVC Championship Tournament. The GLVC Championship Tournament will be held on Nov. 14-16 and will be hosted by the team with the best conference record.
Illinois-Springfield will be eligible for the GLVC Tournament for the first time in 2010. Maryville will not be eligible for the tournament until the 2011 season.
The complete 2010 GLVC Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll follows:
Team (First-place votes) Total Points
1. Indianapolis (11) 193
2. Lewis (2) 179
3. Missouri-St. Louis (1) 163
4. Northern Kentucky 158
5. Rockhurst (1) 143
6. Southern Indiana 130
7. Drury 113
8. Bellarmine 97
9. UW-Parkside 96
10. Saint Joseph’s 81
11. Missouri S&T 74
12. Quincy 65
13. Illinois-Springfield 36
14. Maryville 31
15. Kentucky Wesleyan 16