Volleyball picked to finish first in OAC Preseason Coaches poll
By Caleb Scott
| OAC Preseason Coaches Poll |
ADA — The Ohio Northern volleyball team will look to defend its regular season and conference tournament titles in 2017 as it was picked to finish first in the league in the coaches preseason poll.
Northern returns to the court in 2017 after posting a perfect 9-0 record in conference play a season ago and finishing 27-4 overall.
The Polar Bears received 80 points in the poll and eight first place votes, while Mount Union came in second with 67 points and one first place vote and Heidelberg rounded out the top-3 with 65 points.
ONU will open its season on Sept. 1 as it hosts the 39th Annual ONU Invitational and takes on Case Western Reserve at 2 pm under the guidance of 27th-year head coach Kate Witte.
OAC Preseason Coaches Poll - Aug. 16, 2017
| Rank | Team (First Place Votes | Points |
| 1. | Ohio Northern (8) | 80 |
| 2. | Mount Union (1) | 67 |
| 3. | Heidelberg | 65 |
| 4. | Baldwin Wallace (1) | 59 |
| 5. | Otterbein | 52 |
| 6. | John Carroll | 39 |
| 7. | Muskingum | 37 |
| 8. | Marietta | 22 |
| 9. | Capital | 20 |
| 10. | Wilmington | 9 |