INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Thursday afternoon the Horizon League unveiled the 2023 Under Armour #HLVB Preseason Poll, with Green Bay garnering the third-most votes across the league. The 2022 Horizon League Champions, Wright State, were picked to finish first, with Northern Kentucky coming in at number two.
 
The Phoenix will once again compete for a Horizon League this season after finishing last season in third place with a 13-5 conference record.
 
2023 Under Armour #HLVB Preseason Poll
 
Pl. Team – Pts. (First-place votes)
1. Wright State (9) – 99
2. Northern Kentucky (1) – 85
3. Green Bay – 76
4. Milwaukee – 73
5. Cleveland State – 66
6. Oakland – 47
7. Purdue Fort Wayne – 35
8. Youngstown State – 33
9. IUPUI – 18
9. RMU – 18
 
SEASON PREVIEW
Head coach Abbey Sutherland enters her sixth season at the helm of Green Bay Volleyball and holds an all-time record of 83-59. Sutherland has racked up three of the program's six 20+ win seasons during her tenure, as she looks to add to that number in 2023.
 
The Phoenix will start the season tomorrow with the Rumble in the Rockies tournament hosted by Wyoming. The tournament will start with an 11 a.m. CT match against South Dakota State before the Phoenix will take on hosts Wyoming at 8 p.m. CT. The weekend will conclude against Winthrop on Saturday at 11 a.m. CT. Fans can tune in to watch all the games on the Mountain West Digital Network.
 
Green Bay will continue non-conference play with three tournaments, starting with the Clemson Invitational on September 1-3, the UND Classic on Sept. 7-9, and finally the Green Bay Invite on Sept. 14-16. The official home opener of the Phoenix is against South Dakota on Thursday, Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. GB will also host Central Michigan on Friday, Sept. 15 and Illinois State on Saturday, Sept. 16.
 
Phoenix fans will not have to wait much longer for the team's Horizon League opener, with Purdue Fort Wayne traveling to Green Bay on Friday, Sept. 22 at 6 p.m. Horizon League play will stretch until early November until the Green & White closes the regular season by hosting Cleveland State on Saturday, November 11 at 4 p.m.
 
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Green Bay captain Calli Gentry (along with Tiffany Paalman) is coming off of a tremendous 2022 season. Gentry was named First Team All-Horizon League after leading the league with a career-high 1,230 assists. That number was the 29th-most in NCAA Division I. Gentry also led the team with a career-high 41 aces. The Green Bay setter also recorded a career-high 311 digs.
 
Redshirt-junior Tiffanny Paalman is back on the court after her 2022 Season was cut short due to a torn ACL on Oct. 7, 2022 against Oakland. Paalman was near the top of the horizon league in a number of categories at the time of her injury. Paalman was the most efficient attacker the Phoenix had last year, finishing with a .372 attack percentage. Her per-set averages were second-highest on the team in kills and blocks.
 
Little Chute, Wisconsin native Hannah Vanden Berg returned to the Fox Valley this offseason when she transferred from Marquette to Green Bay. Hannah played prep volleyball at Little Chute High School, where she was named First Team All-State twice. Vanden Berg was named Big East All-Freshman team her freshman Season, finished second on Marquette in kills her sophomore season, and was having another strong campaign before a knee injury in 2021.

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