CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa - Results of the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference's (IIAC) Volleyball Preseason Poll (as voted on by the league's head coaches):
| 2017 IIAC Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll |
| Rank |
School (1st place votes) |
Points |
2016 Record |
| 1. |
Wartburg (7) |
63 |
21-6, 7-1 IIAC (Regular Season & Tournament Champion) |
| 2. |
Luther |
52 |
21-8, 6-2 IIAC |
| 3. |
Coe (1) |
48 |
23-11, 5-3 IIAC |
| 4. |
Nebraska Wesleyan (1) |
44 |
15-14, 5-3 IIAC |
| 5. |
Loras |
36 |
14-14, 4-4 IIAC |
| T6. |
Central |
28 |
14-15, 4-4 IIAC |
| T6. |
Buena Vista |
28 |
15-17, 2-6 IIAC |
| 8. |
Dubuque |
14 |
12-18, 2-6 IIAC |
| 9. |
Simpson |
11 |
11-16, 1-7 IIAC |
Wartburg is the coaches' choice to win the 2017 IIAC Volleyball championship. Wartburg was chosen first on seven ballots (coaches do not vote on their own team) and earned 63 points to take the No. 1 ranking in the Coaches' Preseason Poll. Luther takes the second spot with no first-place votes but gathers 52 points. 2016 IIAC Tournament runner-up Coe, earned the No. 3 ranking garnering one first-place vote and 48 points. Nebraska Wesleyan was selected No. 4, earning one first-place vote and totaling 44 points.
| 1st |
Wartburg College
Head Coach: Jennifer Walker / Doug Frazell
2016 Record: 21-6, 7-1 IIAC
2016 Finish: IIAC Regular Season & Tournament Champion
Returning All-IIAC: Aryn Jones (MH) and IIAC MVP
Jennifer Walker - "In my 20th year of coaching at Wartburg you would think I would have this season outlook thing all figured out. Not even close. If I were to go back through all of my clever pre-season write-ups and predictions, I would probably find that some might have been close, but none of them got it exactly right. Why, because the IIAC has provided surprise finishes almost every season I have been here. It's a great conference to coach in and the idea that any team can win on any night makes that much more enjoyable. I'm excited to see what our team will accomplish this year. We have another group of talented, hard-working, dedicated athletes that make it fun to be in the gym every day. So, for the 2017 season, I will do nothing but anticipate the same sort of excitement in underdog upsets and traditional powerhouse victories that the IIAC has given us year in and year out." |
| Players to Watch: |
| Aryn Jones - MH (Sr.) |
94-sets played // 294-kills // .328-attack % // 95-blocks |
| Bre Bader - DS (Sr.) |
82-sets played // 8-kills // 12-assists // 4-aces // 111-digs |
| Lizzy Blough - OH (Jr.) |
92-sets played // 169-kills // 37-aces // 258-digs // 11-solo blocks |
| Maria Brown - S (Sr.) |
94-sets played // 48-kills // 468-assists // 32-aces // 327-digs |
| Mallary Erbes - S (Jr.) |
93-sets played // 121-kills // 456-assists // 25-aces // 347-digs |
