WESTERVILLE, Ohio – After a strong 2022 campaign, the Marietta College volleyball team was selected to finish second in the Ohio Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll released Thursday (August 17) morning by the league office. The Pioneers finished the season 19-9 overall and earned the fourth seed in the 2022 OAC tournament. The Marietta defeated Mount Union in the first round, but lost to Otterbein in the semifinals.
 
"Looking at the preseason rankings and seeing Marietta #2 is a first since I have been here, so this is a very exciting thing for our program," said Head Coach Kristy Newman. "However, we understand there is a lot of work to be done. After last season we walked away with an unfinished feeling so coming into this year you can feel the desire to have a different ending."
 
Otterbein eventually won last season's OAC title and is the preseason favorite to win the league championship this season. The Cardinals received six first place votes and 78 votes total. The other four first place votes went to the Pioneers, who are ranked second with 75 points.
 
"We are not only focused on getting better on the court but also as a unit," said Coach Newman. "The women have been putting in the work in the gym, but also on our team culture. The love these women have for each other, and the commitment to the process of getting better on the court is an amazing thing to be a part of."
 
The rest of the top five includes Mount Union at No. 3 with 54 points, followed by Ohio Northern (52 points) and John Carroll (51 points).
 
Muskingum (47 points) was sixth with Baldwin Wallace (39 points) at seventh. Heidelberg sits in eighth (28 points) and Wilmington and Capital are ninth and tenth with 14 and 12 points, respectively.
 
Marietta opens the season on Friday (Sept. 1) when they participate in the Mount Union Invitational. They will battle Bluffton University at 8 p.m. that evening. The Pioneers are on the road for a while before they return home to play their first home matchup. Their home opener is September 19th when they welcome Denison University. The match begins at 7pm.
 
The complete poll is below.  First place votes are in parenthesis.

OAC Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll:
1. Otterbein (6) – 78 points
2. Marietta (4) – 75
3. Mount Union – 54
4. Ohio Northern – 52
5. John Carroll – 51
6. Muskingum – 47
7. Baldwin Wallace – 39
8. Heidelberg – 28
9. Wilmington – 14
10. Capital – 12