MCVL, U.S.A. -- The results of the 2023 Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League's Preseason Poll as voted by the league's nine head coaches:
2023 MCVL Coaches Pre-Season Poll
| Place | Team | Points (1st-Place Votes) |
| 1. | Mount Union | 63 (7) |
| 2. | Fontbonne | 58 (2) |
| 3. | Trine | 49 |
| 4. | Wittenberg | 39 |
| 5. | Baldwin Wallace | 35 |
| T6. | Adrian | 28 |
| T6. | Mount St. Joseph | 28 |
| 8. | Wabash | 14 |
| 9. | Olivet | 10 |
The University of Mount Union has been chosen as the favorite for the 2023 Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League's regular-season title. The Purple Raiders, last year's MCVL tournament champion and NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship automatic qualifier, topped the voting results of the league's nine head coaches. The MCVL enters its ninth season of play in winter and spring of 2023.
UMU is coached by Matt Mihelic, who was the league's Coach of the Year in 2022. Fontbonne University has been an MCVL juggernaut in recent years, and the coaches think the Griffins are among the league's elite teams again this year with a second-place finish in the polling. Mount Union and Fontbonne battled to a split-decision last winter. The regular-season-champion-Griffins won the first match at UMU, 3-1, but the Raiders got their revenge at Fontbonne in the league tournament by the same score. Mount Union drew the eventual national champion, Carthage, in the NCAA tournament's first round. Trine, for the second-straight year, came in at third in the pre-season poll with 49 points with some distance between it and fourth-place Wittenberg (39 pts). Baldwin Wallace finished fifth (35). Adrian and Mount St. Joseph tied for sixth (28) with Wabash eighth (14), and Olivet ninth (10 points).
Polls get tossed to the bench on Friday, March 3 when Baldwin Wallace travels to Adrian and Mount Union goes to Olivet for the MCVL's 2023 openers. Wittenberg christens the non-league season with a Friday, January 13 match against Roanoke. Mount St. Joseph, Mount Union, and Wabash are all in action the following day.
Digging Deeper ...
| 1. Mount Union | |
| Head Coach | Matt Mihelic |
| 2022 Overall / MCVL Record (Place) | 14-12 / 7-1 (2nd) |
| 2022 MCVL Tournament | TOURNAMENT CHAMPION (defeated Fontbonne in championship, 3-1) |
| Key Returnees | Andrew Cross (Sr., MB) > 2nd Team All-MCVL in 2022; led DIII in blocks at one point last season; Cameron Ternent (Sr., OH) > 1st Team All-MCVL and MCVL All-Tournament Team last season; Luke Trzeciak (Sr., OH) > 2022 MCVL All-Tournament Team. |
| Coach Mihelic Quote | "We are looking to build on our successes from last year. The guys have been working hard this past fall and are anxious to get the season started." |
| 2. Fontbonne | |
| Head Coach | Jimmy Stika |
| 2022 Overall / MCVL Record (Place) | 20-7 / 8-0 (1st) |
| 2022 MCVL Tournament | Runner-Up (lost to Mount Union in championship, 1-3) |
| Key Returnees | Ryan Lively (Sr., OH) > 1st Team All-MCVL in both 2021 and '22, MCVL All-Tournament Team in '22, MCVL Rookie of the Year in '21; Cam Graves (Sr., OH) > 24th in MCVL with 2.00 kills/set last season; Joseph Huster (Sr., MH) > 2nd Team All-MCVL in 2022. |
| Coach Stika Quote |
"We're very excited to get the 2023 season started here at Fontbonne. We'll have a number of new faces stepping into more prominent roles but hope to maintain the success we've had over the past few seasons. With the growth of all programs continuing in the MCVL, we're expecting a lot of hard-fought, intense league battles all throughout the spring!"
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| 3. Trine | |
| Head Coach | Will Dowdy |
| 2022 Overall / MCVL Record (Place) | 12-14 / 4-4 (3rd) |
| 2022 MCVL Tournament | Semifinal (lost to Fontbonne, 0-3) |
| Key Returnees | Hunter Haas (Jr., L) > 1st Team All-MCVL in both 2021 and '22, MCVL Defensive Player of the year in '21; Ted Hofmeister (Jr., OH) > 1st Team All-MCVL in 2022; Kevin Boncaro (Sr., RS) > t13 in MCVL with 2.48 kills/set last season. |
| Coach Dowdy Quote | "This season promises to be very competitive as the depth of MCVL grows. I look forward to getting a chance to compete with everyone this spring." |
| 4. Wittenberg | |
| Head Coach | Nathan Matthews |
| 2022 Overall / MCVL Record (Place) | 11-17 / 4-4 (t4th) |
| Key Returnees | Dominic Melchiorre (Sr., MB) > 2nd Team All-MCVL in 2022; Kurt Klamfoth (Jr., MB, OH) > 2nd in MCVL with 1.04 blocks/set in league matches. |
| Coach Matthews Quote | "I cannot repeat enough how proud I am of our 2022 team. Coming off of a last-place finish, they worked so hard all year and got within a few points of making our first-ever MCVL Tournament. This season we are building upon that foundation. With the help of a talented recruiting class, we are looking to take another step forward." |
| 5. Baldwin Wallace |
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| Head Coach | Kyle Mars |
| 2022 Overall / MCVL Record (Place) | 8-18 / 3-5 (7th) |
| Key Returnees | Michael Beard (Jr., OH) > 2nd Team All-MCVL in 2022; Brandon Long (Jr., S) > 4th in MCVL with 8.83 assists/set last season; Nick Irelan (Jr., OH) 10th in MCVL with 2.71 kills/set last season. |
| Coach Mars Quote | "We are looking forward to 2023 after what was an extremely challenging 2022 season full of matches against ranked opponents. With the addition of another talented class of young athletes who will contribute, this is a highly motivated team." |
| T6. Adrian | |
| Head Coach | Jose Soto |
| 2022 Overall / MCVL Record (Place) | 7-19 / 4-4 (t4th) |
| Key Returnees | Chase Heuer (Jr., OH) > 1st Team All-MCVL in 2022; Andrew Gawrisch (Jr., S/RS) > 16th in MCVL with 2.26 kills/set. |
| Coach Soto Quote | "We are really looking forward to the season. We have key returners who are looking to do some damage and are being complemented by a strong freshman class." |
| T6. Mount St. Joseph | |
| Head Coach | Jake Neiheisel |
| 2022 Overall / MCVL Record (Place) | 11-10 / 5-3 (3rd) |
| 2022 MCVL Tournament | Semifinalist (lost to Mount Union, 1-3) |
| Key Returnees | Logan Essen (Jr., L) > Injured for much of 2022 season; Ben Carmosino (So., S) > 6th in MCVL with 8.75 assists/set; Ryan Bollhauer (So., OH) > 1.42 kills/set and .299 kills percentage in 2022. |
| Coach Neiheisel Quote | "I am really looking forward to this upcoming season. We will be on the young side but definitely have talent and the work ethic to get to where we want to be. We have a lot of new faces in our program, but they have worked really hard in the fall and I have a feeling they are going to open some eyes this season." |
| 8. Wabash | |
| Head Coach | Ryan Bowerman |
| 2022 Overall / MCVL Record (Place) | 3-18 / 0-8 (9th) |
| Key Returnees | Ricky Sessions (Jr., OH) > 15th in MCVL with 2.26 kills/set; Jackson Leeper (So., MB) > 24th in MCVL with 2.08 kills/set in league matches; Luis Rivera (So., L) 7th in MCVL with 2.21 digs/set. |
| Coach Bowerman Quote | "We return almost everyone from last year's team and have added some talented freshmen to the roster. After a great fall season, I can't wait to see this group compete this spring." |
| 9. Olivet | |
| Head Coach | Kenny Brokaw |
| 2022 Overall / MCVL Record (Place) | 5-14 / 1-7 (8th) |
| Key Returnees | Everett Haynes (Jr., S) > 8th in MCVL with 7.69 assists/set; Kai Hartman (Jr., OH) > 9th in MCVL with 2.72 kills/set; Deontay Thomas (Jr., OH) > 7th in MCVL with 2.90 kills/set. |
| Coach Brokaw Quote | "I have high expectations for this season! There's a buzz around OC men's volleyball like never before and it's awesome to see the growth. We played some really good ball during preseason. Our returners have put in the work to improve tremendously, and we have some newcomers that I expect to make a big impact for us. Last year we did a good job putting up a fight against just about every team we played; we had a lot of close matches. This year the goal is to find ways to win more of those. I'm extremely proud of our guys and very excited to get going on the season!" |