The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Volleyball ranked No. 2 in AVCA Preseason Top 25 Poll
08.11.2014 | Volleyball
The Longhorns have earned a Top Two ranking in the coaches’ preseason poll in each of the past three years.
AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas Volleyball team is ranked No. 2 in the nation in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division I Coaches Top 25 preseason poll released Monday. This marks the third consecutive year that the Longhorns have earned a Top Two national ranking in the AVCA preseason poll. Texas was ranked No. 1 in last year's preseason poll and was tabbed No. 2 in 2012.
UT, which was ranked No. 3 in the final 2013 poll, received 11 first-place votes and 1,389 total points. Defending national champion Penn State claimed the top spot in the poll, claiming 32 first-place votes and 1,417 total points. Stanford (seven first-place votes; 1,356 points), Washington (1,280 points) and Southern California (two first-place votes; 1,272 points) rounded out the top five spots in the preseason rankings.
UT returns a quartet of AVCA All-Americans in seniors Haley Eckerman and Khat Bell along with junior Molly McCage and sophomore Chiaka Ogbogu. The Longhorns posted a 27-3 overall record and advanced to the NCAA semifinals last season, while also registering a perfect 16-0 mark in Big 12 play. Texas has claimed three consecutive and six of the last seven Big 12 Conference titles.
The Longhorns host the Orange-White Scrimmage at Gregory Gym on Saturday, Aug. 23 at 11 a.m. (Central). Texas opens the 2014 season at the New Mexico Tournament with a neutral-site matchup against UTEP on Friday, Aug. 29 at 11:30 a.m. (Central). The Longhorns begin Big 12 play with a game at West Virginia on Wednesday, Sept. 24 at 6 p.m. (Central) on ESPNU.
2014 AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll (Aug. 11, 2014)
Rank Team (First-Place Votes) Points
1 Penn State (32) 1,417
2 TEXAS (11) 1,389
3 Stanford (7) 1,356
4 Washington 1,280
5 Southern California (2) 1,272
6 Wisconsin (8) 1,264
7 Nebraska 1,149
8 Purdue 980
9 BYU 924
10 Florida 897
11 Illinois 813
12 Minnesota 802
13 Florida State 695
14 San Diego 628
15 Missouri 547
16 Michigan State 494
17 Hawai'I 481
18 Colorado State 472
19 Kentucky 452
20 North Carolina 378
21 Duke 361
22 Kansas 232
23 Creighton 184
24 American 134
25 Arizona State 129
