BAY CITY, Mich. – The Grand Valley State volleyball team was picked to finish third in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) South Division per the release of the 2019 GLIAC Volleyball Coaches Poll from the league office on Tuesday (Aug. 6). GVSU finished with 41 points and earned 2 first-place votes, while Ashland topped the south division with 57 points and 9 first-place votes. Davenport, who was picked to finish fourth, earned the final first place vote.
 
GVSU finished fourth in the GLIAC South Division in 2018 with a 6-10 conference record which earned the Lakers a seven seed in the GLIAC Tournament. The Lakers bowed out of the tournament in the quarterfinal match against the #2 seed Michigan Tech by a score of 0-3 (15-25, 23-25, 23-25).
 
Wayne State was voted second place in the south division with 43 points just two points ahead of GVSU. In fourth was Davenport (39 points), Wisconsin-Parkside (24 points) was picked fifth, and Purdue Northwest (12 points) rounded out the south division in sixth. In the north division, defending GLIAC Champion Ferris State was picked first with 61 points and 8 first-place votes. The Bulldogs were followed by Michigan Tech (57 points, 4 first-place votes), Saginaw Valley State (44 points), Northern Michigan (33 points), Northwood (22 points), and Lake Superior State (14 points).
 
Complete results of the 2019 GLIAC Coaches Poll
 
The Grand Valley State volleyball team finished 13-15 overall a season ago with a loss in the GLIAC Tournament quarterfinals for the third consecutive year. The Lakers will need to replace four seniors from last season including All-American Staci Brower. This season's roster features two seniors, six sophomores, and 10 freshmen.
 
Seniors Kendall Yerkes and Frankie Cavallaro will look to provide leadership to a young group that has very little experience at the collegiate level. Yerkes was one of four Lakers to play in all 28 matches and all 100 sets last season, leading the team in digs with 449. Cavallaro returns after battling through injuries to start last season but saw action in 17 matches down the stretch and looks to close her career with a strong senior season. She finished second on the team with 217 assists a year ago.
 
Also returning is sophomore Ali Thompson who earned All-GLIAC Honorable Mention as a freshman. The Cincinnati, Ohio native was one of just three Lakers to start in all 28 matches while ranking second in the GLIAC with .38 service aces per set. Classmate Abby Graham will look to improve upon a solid freshman campaign where she started in all 28 matches and ranked fourth on the team with 161 kills.
 
The Lakers will open their 2019 season at the UNC Pembroke Invitational in Pembroke, North Carolina on Friday, September 6 when they take on the host UNC Pembroke at 11:00 A.M. The home and GLIAC opener are set for September 20 against Northern Michigan.