The Hope College volleyball team placed second in the 2018 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Preseason Coaches Poll.
Coach Becky Schmidt’s Flying Dutch totaled 57 points and received one first-place vote in the nine-team poll.
MIAA coaches could not vote for their own teams. Calvin was a unanimous preseason favorite with eight first-place votes and 64 points. Albion (45) came in third and was followed by Saint Mary’s (40), Trine (36), Alma (30), Adrian (29), Kalamazoo (15), and Olivet (8).
Hope is coming off a 2017 season in which the Flying Dutch finished with a 19-11 overall record and a second-place MIAA mark of 12-4.
The Flying Dutch bring back one of their four All-MIAA selections from last season: second-team honoree and senior outside hitter Katie Rietberg of Holland, Michigan (West Ottawa HS).
Hope starts the season on Friday-Saturday, August 31-September 1 at the Transylvania University (Kentucky) Tournament.
The Flying Dutch’s home opener is the MIAA Preview Tournament on Friday-Saturday, September 7-8 at DeVos Fieldhouse.
Hope’s MIAA opener is Tuesday, September 18 against Alma at DeVos Fieldhouse.