WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Marietta and Otterbein have been tabbed as favorites in preseason voting by the Ohio Athletic Conference volleyball coaches.

Marietta (five first place votes) and Otterbein (four first place votes) tallied 75 points each, followed by Mount Union (one first place vote) with 67 points, Ohio Northern with 58 points and John Carroll with 45 points. Head coaches do not vote for their own teams in the balloting.

Marietta finished the 2023 season with a record of 15-12 overall and 7-2 in the OAC. The Pioneers finished second in the conference and earned the two seed in the OAC Volleyball tournament. Marietta is returning key members from the 2023 roster, including two-time American Volleyball Coaches Association All-American Maggie Fellers, and All-OAC honorees Jillian Fellers, Mia Silva and Emory Spitler. Marietta opens the season on Friday, Aug. 30 at the Mount Union Invitational, taking on the University of Rochester at 6:00 p.m. and Albion College at 8:00 p.m.

Otterbein finished 23-9 overall last season and 9-0 in the OAC, marking its first perfect regular season in school history. The Cardinals have won the OAC Tournament three of the last four years, and advanced to its fourth straight NCAA Division III Volleyball tournament last season. Otterbein will head to Springfield on Friday, Aug. 30 to begin the 2024 season at the Wittenberg Fall Classic. The Cardinals will play Berea (Ky.) at 4:30 p.m. and Wittenberg at 7:00 p.m.

2024 OAC Volleyball Schedule