by Alan Babbitt
The nationally ranked Hope College volleyball team will look to challenge for a league championship as the second-place finisher in the 2019 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association Preseason Coaches Poll.
The Flying Dutch totaled 57 points and received one first-place vote. Coaches could not vote for their own team.
Led by head coach Becky Schmidt, Hope is coming off a 25-8 campaign in 2018 that included the team's 15th appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
The Flying Dutch return the MIAA's Freshman of the Year, middle hitter McKenna Otto. The 6-0 sophomore also was an All-MIAA FIrst Team selection last season.
Hope is ranked 21st in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III preseason poll.
The Flying Dutch open the season on Friday-Saturday, August 30-31 with their Inspire Hope Tournament at DeVos Fieldhouse. The four-team tournament features Bluffton (Ohio), Wartburg (Iowa) and Wisconsin Lutheran.
