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The defending MIVA champions are the unanimous favorites to repeat.
Ohio State received all nine first-place votes in the MIVA Preseason Poll that the conference released on Tuesday.
The Buckeyes last season won their final eight regular season matches to earn a share of the MIVA regular season title and then on the road won the MIVA Tournament championship. The team advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in five years and swept King in the opening round.
Three All-MIVA starters return for the Buckeyes, including outside attacker Jacob Pasteur. The 2023 Karch Kiraly Award winner ended last season in the nation’s top 15 averaging 3.90 kills per game and was sixth in the MIVA with a .313 attack percentage.
Pasteur also was named on Tuesday the MIVA Preseason Player of the Year.
The three teams that ended last season tied for first place in the MIVA were all in the top three of the preseason poll.
Loyola garnered 70 points to finish in second place – 11 points behind Ohio State. Ball State received 64 points and finished in third place.
The nine MIVA coaches voted on the conference’s preseason poll and the preseason all-conference team.
The MIVA season will begin in February and conclude with the nine-team conference tournament in April The winner of the MIVA Tournament will receive the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
2024 MIVA Preseason Poll
1. Ohio State — 81 (9) points
2. Loyola — 70 points
3. Ball State — 64 points
4. Lewis — 46 points
5. Purdue Fort Wayne — 45 points
6. Lindenwood — 41 points
7. McKendree — 33 points
8. Quincy — 17 points
9. Queens — 11 points
2024 MIVA Preseason Player of the Year
Jacob Pasteur, Ohio State
2024 Preseason All-MIVA Team
Setter: Michael Wright, Ohio State
Opposite: Raje Alleyne, Quincy
Opposite: Parker Van Buren, Loyola
Opposite: Shane Wetzel, Ohio State
Outside attacker: Jon Diedrich, Purdue Fort Wayne
Outside attacker: A.J. Lewis, Lindenwood
Outside attacker: Tinaishe Ndavazocheva, Ball State
Outside attacker: Jacob Pasteur, Ohio State
Outside attacker: Max Roquet, Lewis
Middle attacker: Nicodemus Meyer, Loyola
Middle attacker: Bryce Walker, Purdue Fort Wayne
Libero: Tommy Poole, Ohio State