MCVL, U.S.A. -- The results of the 2022 Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League's Preseason Poll as voted by the league's nine head coaches:
2022 MCVL Coaches Preseason Poll
| Place | Team | Points (1st-Place Votes) |
| 1. | Fontbonne | 64 (8) |
| 2. | Mount Union | 56 (1) |
| 3. | Trine | 46 |
| 4. | Mount St. Joseph | 45 |
| T5. | Adrian | 34 |
| T5. | Baldwin Wallace | 34 |
| 7. | Wittenberg | 19 |
| 8. | Wabash | 17 |
| 9. | Olivet | 9 |
The nine head coaches of the Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League have voted Fontbonne University as their predicted choice to win the regular-season championship for 2022. The results of the poll were released today. If the coaches are right, the MCVL Tournament will have the same four teams as last year's event as Fontbonne, Mount Union, Trine, and Mount St. Joseph were picked in that order for the top-four spots. The rest of the league surely will have a say in all that.
The Griffins, coached by Jimmy Stika, totaled 64 points and received eight first-place votes, making them the prohibitive favorite for the title. Mount Union received the other first-place vote and totaled 56 points as the clear choice for second place. The Raiders faced Fontbonne in the championship match of the 2021 MCVL Tournament, coming up short in a very competitive 3-1 decision that sent the Griffins to the NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship. Fontbonne lost in five sets in the first round of the national tournament. Trine came in at third in this year's poll with 46 points followed by Mount St. Joseph just one point behind. Adrian and Baldwin Wallace tied for fifth in the poll (34 points). Wittenberg was seventh (19 points), with Wabash eighth (17 points), and Olivet ninth (9 points).
The MCVL regular season begins February 11, 2022 when Adrian travels to Wittenberg. The non-league season, which was severely limited by COVID-19 in 2021, is right around the corner when the calendar turns. It's Wittenberg with the first match of the year on January 6 at home against Indiana Tech.
Digging Deeper ...
| 1. Fontbonne | |
| Head Coach | Jimmy Stika |
| 2021 Overall / MCVL Record (Place) | 19-3 / 15-1 (1st) |
| 2021 MCVL Tournament | CHAMPION (defeated Mount Union in championship, 3-1) |
| Key Returnees | Kyler van Rossum-O'Connell (Gr., S) > 3-time All-MCVL selection; Ryan Lively (Jr., OH) > 2021 MCVL Rookie of the Year, 1st Team All-MCVL; Braden Woolsey (Gr., MH) > 2-time All-MCVL selection; Cameron Graves (Sr., OH) > 2020 1st Team All-MCVL; Nate Paasch (Sr., RS) > 77 kills / 99 digs in 2021. |
| Coach Stika Quote | "The 2022 season is shaping up to be an exciting one for FBUMVB. With the returning level of talent and experience on our roster, we feel we're in a position to make another run at an MCVL championship. The conference as a whole is improving quickly and we're looking forward to all of the great matchups coming soon!" |
| 2. Mount Union | |
| Head Coach | Matt Mihelic |
| 2021 Overall / MCVL Record (Place) | 21-3 / 14-2 (2nd) |
| 2021 MCVL Tournament | Runner-Up (lost to Fontbonne in championship, 1-3) |
| Key Returnees | Cam Tennent (Jr., OH) > 231 kills / 117 digs in 2021; Steven Grenier (Sr., L) > 2-time All-MCVL selection; Sam Matonis (Sr., MB) > 2021 2nd Team All-MCVL; Jeremy Leyden (Sr., S) > 2-time All-MCVL selection |
| Coach Mihelic Quote |
"This season promises to be very competitive as we look to continue to build upon our successes from last year."
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| 3. Trine | |
| Head Coach | Will Dowdy |
| 2021 Overall / MCVL Record (Place) | 11-6 / 11-5 (4th) |
| 2021 MCVL Tournament | Semifinal (lost to Fontbonne, 0-3) |
| Key Returnees | Hunter Haas (So., L) > 2021 MCVL Defensive Player of the Year; Eric Santiago-Garcia (Sr., OH/DS) > 310 kills / 172 digs as a freshman |
| Coach Dowdy Quote | "I am excited by the talent and hunger from the fall. I look forward to seeing us have a chance to compete with every MCVL team this spring." |
| 4. Mount St. Joseph | |
| Head Coach | Jake Neiheisel |
| 2021 Overall / MCVL Record (Place) | 12-5 / 12-4 (3rd) |
| 2021 MCVL Tournament | Semifinal (lost to Mount Union, 1-3) |
| Key Returnees | Jason Hascher (Gr., OH) > 2021 MCVL Offensive Player of the Year, 3-time All-MCVL; Hayden Wood (Gr., OH) > 2021 2nd Team All-MCVL; Rey Sanchez (Sr., S) > 2-time All-MCVL selection; Jack Spohn (Sr., MH) > 2-time All-MCVL selection; Eli Scott (Jr., MH/OH) 36 blocks in 2021; Craig Dannemiller (So., L) > 121 digs in 2021 |
| Coach Neiheisel Quote | "I am really excited to see what we can accomplish this season. With most of our lineup from last year's 3rd-place team and a few freshmen that will contribute right from the start, I believe we will pick up and build off what we accomplished last season." |
| T5. Adrian |
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| Head Coach | Jose Soto |
| 2021 Overall / MCVL Record (Place) | 8-10 / 8-8 (5th) |
| Key Returnees | Ted Gula (Sr., OH) > 187 kills / 177 digs in 2020; Chase Heuer (So., OH) > 186 kills / 107 digs in 2021 |
| Coach Soto Quote | "I am really excited for this upcoming season. We have a lot of young talent alongside our strong returners who are hungry and want to do some damage." |
| T5. Baldwin Wallace | |
| Head Coach | Kyle Mars |
| 2021 Overall / MCVL Record (Place) | 6-10 / 6-10 (6th) |
| Key Returnees | Michael Beard (So., OH) > 2021 2nd Team All-MCVL; Brandon Long (So., S) > 504 assists / 22 blocks in 2021; Nick Irelan (So., OH) > 143 kills / 107 digs in 2021; Donovan Travis (So., MH) > 61 kills / 33 blocks in 2021 |
| Coach Mars Quote | "I'm excited to enter year two of our program. We are returning a majority of our young and talented core contributors from last year, and have added an incredibly hard working and competitive freshman class. Go Jackets." |
| 7. Wittenberg | |
| Head Coach | Nathan Matthews |
| 2021 Overall / MCVL Record (Place) | 2-15 / 1-15 (9th) |
| Key Returnees | Russell Burke (Sr., OH) > 152 kills / 100 digs in 2021; Chris Goertz (Jr., OH) > 116 kills / 91 digs in 2021; Aidan Hauter (Sr., OPP) > 355 assists / 112 digs in 2021; Dominic Melchiorre (Jr., MB) > 35 blocks / 78 kills in 2021 |
| Coach Matthews Quote | "We are determined to start a new era for Wittenberg men's volleyball in 2022. Our guys have bought in and worked extremely hard this fall. Returners Russell Burke, Aidan Hauter, Chris Goertz, and Dominic Melchiorre all made strides and have the potential to set career bests this season. The addition of Aaron Giorgi has brought leadership and elevated our offense. We can't wait to start competing!" |
| 8. Wabash | |
| Head Coach | Ryan Bowerman |
| 2021 Overall / MCVL Record (Place) | 2-14 / 2-14 (8th) |
| Key Returnees | Ricky Sessions (So., OH) > 84 kills / 111 digs in 2021; Evan Nichols (Sr., MB) > 34 blocks / 85 kills in 2021 |
| Coach Bowerman Quote | "Our team has had a great off-season and we are looking forward to continuing to build after our inaugural season in 2021. We are still a young team, but we return seven players and have several freshmen who we expect to contribute right away. We are excited for a competitive year in the MCVL." |
| 9. Olivet | |
| Head Coach | Kenny Brokaw |
| 2021 Overall / MCVL Record (Place) | 3-13 / 3-13 (7th) |
| Key Returnees | Everett Haynes (So., S) > 401 assists / 92 digs in 2021; Kai Hartman (So., OH) > 120 kills / 83 digs in 2021; Deontay Thomas (So., OH) > 125 kills / 71 digs in 2021; Dakota Galeazzi (Jr., L) > 132 digs / 6 service aces in 2021 |
| Coach Brokaw Quote | "These guys have been absolutely grinding. Coach Nick (Perakes) and I couldn't be any more proud of the effort we see day in and day out. In our preseason tournament we showed we can be competitive against very high-level opponents, and we look forward to taking that momentum and continuing to progress throughout the 2022 season." |