The Ashland University volleyball team was picked to finish third in the GLIAC South in the preseason coaches' poll the league office announced on Thursday (Aug. 2) morning.
The Eagles finished last season with a 14-15 overall record and a 7-9 mark in GLIAC play, earning the No. 8 seed in the conference tournament. It was just the second time since 2003 the Eagles had finished with a record below .500.
This year's team is under the direction of first-year head coach Kevin Foeman, who will get to work with an explosive AU attacking corps, led by All-GLIAC first team outside hitter Shelby Woycik, who led the league in kills per set while hitting .220. She will be a junior this season.
Ashland also returns two other All-GLIAC honorees in senior middle Reanne Neal and junior middle Michaela Ping. Neal was third in the GLIAC in blocks per set and aces per set and Ping hit .246 on the season.
The Eagles were 9-3 on their home court last season and carried a program-record 22-match winning streak into late October. That survived more than two calendar years, starting Oct. 10, 2015.
Ashland officially opens camp on Monday, Aug. 6 and will open the regular season Aug. 24-25 with four matches at Kates Gymnasium in the Ashland Invitational. AU will play Shippensburg, Malone, Nova Southeastern and Bellarmine.
The full GLIAC poll follows.
| GLIAC South (1st Place Votes) | Points |
| 1. Wayne State (7) | 57 |
| 2. Grand Valley State (4) | 52 |
| 3. Ashland | 40 |
| 4. Davenport (1) | 30 |
| 5. UW-Parkside | 26 |
| 6. Purdue Northwest | 11 |
| GLIAC North (1st Place Votes) | Points |
| 1. Ferris State (11) | 61 |
| 2. Michigan Tech (1) | 49 |
| 3. Northern Michigan | 43 |
| 4. Northwood | 26 |
| 4. Saginaw Valley State | 26 |
| 6. Lake Superior State | 11 |
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