Upper Iowa volleyball was chosen to finish eighth in the GLVC preseason coaches' poll, earning 81 votes. They came in five votes shy of seventh, as Missouri S&T edged out the Peacocks and garnered 86 votes, respectively.
Lewis University was voted in the preseason coaches' poll as the choice to win the 2024 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) volleyball title, the league office announced on Wednesday. The preseason poll is selected by the league's head coaches, who, per GLVC Bylaws, are not permitted to vote for their own team.
The squad will be under new guidance with Head Coach Jim Dietz and Assistant Coach Sarah Stevelinck, both in their first season at UIU.
Most recently, Dietz dedicated 16 seasons at the forefront of the Lincoln Land Community College's volleyball program, compiling an overall 530-200 record. He was inducted into the NJCAA Hall of Fame in 2022 to punctuate his tenure with the Loggers. During his 16-year run, Dietz boasted 14 NJCAA All-Americans, two AVCA All-Americans and seven MWAC Freshman of the Year selections. The Lincoln Land Community College volleyball program was the NJCAA National Runner Ups in 2015 and 2016, while notching third place in 2017 and eighth in 2018.
Stevelinck played for the UIU volleyball program as a libero from 2020-22, appearing in 166 sets over the course of 49 matches. A native of Lyons, Colorado, Stevelinck graduated from Upper Iowa in 2022 with a bachelor's degree in exercise and sports studies and a master's degree in sports administration.
UIU volleyball concluded their 2023 campaign with a berth into the GLVC Championship Tournament. The squad will return two all-GLVC honorees in the form of
Zoe Semelroth and
Nicole Pozorski, as well as several experienced Peacocks back for the 2024 season.
The Peacocks open their season at the Maverick Invite on Sep. 5-7, where they go head-to-head with Minnesota State Mankato, Parkside, Minnesota State Moorhead and Northern Michigan.
2024 GLVC VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON POLL
| Place |
School |
Points (1st-Place Votes) |
| 1 |
Lewis |
161 (6) |
| 2 |
Missouri-St. Louis |
154 (4) |
| 3 |
Rockhurst |
148 (4) |
| 4 |
Quincy |
131 |
| 5 |
Indianapolis |
123 |
| 6 |
Maryville |
106 |
| 7 |
Missouri S&T |
86 |
| 8 |
Upper Iowa |
81 |
| 9 |
McKendree |
64 |
| 10 |
Illinois Springfield |
62 |
| 11 |
Southwest Baptist |
49 |
| 12 |
Drury |
48 |
| 13 |
William Jewell |
34 |
| 14 |
Truman State |
27 |
