MARIETTA, Ohio — After their unprecedented 2024 season, the Marietta College volleyball team has earned a spot in the American Volleyball Coaches Association/Taraflex Division III Preseason Poll released last Tuesday (August 19) afternoon. The Pioneers attained the rank of 16th, marking their first ever appearance in the national preseason poll.
 
"Going into season ranked in the AVCA Preseason Poll for the first time is a great milestone for Marietta College volleyball," said Marietta head coach Kristy Anderson. "But at the end of the day, preseason rankings are just that — preseason. What truly matters is how we show up and compete every day. That mindset is driving us right now in the gym, pushing us to earn everything that comes next."
 
Juniata College is the overwhelming preseason favorite grabbing 74 of the 86 first place votes. Wisconsin-Whitewater received four first place votes on the way to second place, narrowly edging out Hope College. Johns Hopkins received the other three first place votes and placed fourth in the poll. Emory rounded out the top five.
 
The second five includes No. 6 Wisconsin-Oshkosh, followed by La Verne, MIT, Washington & Lee, and Trinity (Texas) at No. 10.
 
The only other Ohio Athletic Conference school that received consideration in the poll is last year's OAC Tournament champion, Otterbein University. The Cardinals received 14 votes, placing them within the top 50 teams in Division III.
 
The Pioneers begin the season on the road at the Mount Union Invitational on Friday, August 29th.  They will open with Clarkson University with a scheduled matchup at 4 p.m., followed by a battle with DePauw University at 6 p.m.  The Pioneers first home game will not be until September 16th when the welcome in Denison University for a 7 p.m. start time.
 
Fans can follow all the Pioneer teams all year long at pioneers.marietta.edu. You can also follow the Pioneers on Facebook at facebook.com/MariettaCollege and @MariettaPioneer on X and Instagram.