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BAY CITY, Mich. -- If the preseason American Volleyball Coaches Association Division II Preseason Top 25 Poll is any indication, it appears the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) race will be another hard-fought battle from start to finish – where every match will hold great meaning.

In the preseason GLIAC poll, the coaches tabbed Ferris State University to win the 2012 GLIAC title, outdistancing second-place Hillsdale College by a 211-193 tally.  The Bulldogs garnered 10 first-place votes while the Chargers earned just three. Saginaw Valley also earned one first-place vote as they came in fourth in the poll.

SAGINAW VALLEY PREVIEW: Saginaw Valley State finished with a record of 18-11 overall and 15-4 in the league standings. The 15 GLIAC victories were the most in SVSU history as they clinched a home playoff game as the third seed in the conference tournament. SVSU lost six seniors to graduation last season, which means head coach Will Stanton will have to rely heavily on a young but talented group of individuals to produce. SVSU holds high hopes of matching its second-place finish in the North Division in last fall's race for the GLIAC title. The Cardinals will also look to participate in the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in five seasons.

THE PLAYERS: The Cardinal offense will rely on the agility of senior setter Sam Breault (Bad Axe, Mich. / Bad Axe HS) along with a group of talented returners. Coach Stanton welcomes back a talented group of seniors including Laurel Mattson (Lake Odessa, Mich. / Lakewood HS), Sarah Robb (Novi, Mich. / Novi HS) and Megan Jones (Shelby, Mich. / Henry Ford II HS) who have big shoes to fill from last year's senior-laden squad. Sophomore Kelsey Ferla (Lincoln Park, Mich. / Gabriel Richard HS) finished fourth on the team last year in kills and will look to lead the Cardinal attack with help from junior Lyndsay Reynolds (Saline, Mich. / Saline HS) and sophomore Kate Czopek (Sterling Heights, Mich. / Sterling Heights HS). Saginaw Valley also brings in a recruiting class consisting of four freshmen ready to make an immediate impact.

THE COACH: Stanton begins his 10th season as the head coach of the Cardinals. He is assisted this fall by Kait Harris, Shannon Flippin and Jessica Stanton.

OF INTEREST: During his time at SVSU, Will Stanton has coached the Cardinals to a 99-53 overall and 56-32 GLIAC record the past five seasons. Saginaw Valley received their third NCAA Tournament bid in the past four years as Stanton continues to recruit and make the SVSU Volleyball program one of the premier programs in both the conference and region.

The Cardinals will begin their 2012 campaign with a trip to the Hyatt Sunshine Classic in West Palm Beach, Florida this Friday (8/31) and Saturday (9/1) before heading to Rensselaer, Indiana for the St. Joseph's Invitational the following weekend (9/7-8). Saginaw Valley will open their home schedule on Friday, September 14 against Northern Michigan University.