2017 NCAA Division I Women's Volleyball National ChampionshipAug 17, 2017 by Megan Kaplon
Coaches In Top Volleyball Conferences Pick Preseason Favorites
Coaches In Top Volleyball Conferences Pick Preseason Favorites
With the Pac-12 releasing its preseason women's volleyball poll on August 16, the women's volleyball coaches in each of the Power 5 conferences have now made their predictions on which teams will find success this fall.
With the Pac-12 releasing its preseason women's volleyball poll on Wednesday, the women's volleyball coaches in each of the Power Five conferences have now made their predictions on which teams will find success this fall.
It comes as no surprise that Washington, the reigning conference champ which returns all of its starters, topped the Pac-12's preseason poll, with 2016 national champion Stanford coming in at No. 2.
Utah, ranked No. 4, celebrated its highest preseason conference ranking since it joined the Pac-12 in 2012. The Utes, who will be led by senior All-American outside hitter Adora Anae, even received one first-place vote.
Penn State earned the No. 1 spot in the Big Ten's preseason coaches poll, beating out last year's conference champion Nebraska, 2015 winner Minnesota, and 2014 titleholder Wisconsin. The selection marks the fourth time in the past five seasons and the 11th time in 13 years that the 16-time conference champion Nittany Lions have been chosen as preseason conference favorites.
For the third year in a row, North Carolina was pegged as the preseason favorite in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The ACC coaches unanimously chose the reigning champion Tar Heels as the No. 1 preseason team, with Florida State coming in at No. 2.
The race in the Southeastern Conference was a tight one, with Florida taking the No. 1 spot with seven first-place votes and 139 points and No. 2 Kentucky right on the Gators' heels with six first-place votes and 138 points.
Texas, which ranked No. 1 in the nation in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Preseason Top 25, continued its streak as the Big 12's preseason favorite, locking in the No. 1 spot in the conference poll for the seventh consecutive year. Last season's Big 12 champion Kansas came in second, with three first-place votes to Texas' six.
See the complete preseason polls and preseason all-conference list from each of the Power Five conferences below.
Watch Episode One here.
Watch Episode One here.
It comes as no surprise that Washington, the reigning conference champ which returns all of its starters, topped the Pac-12's preseason poll, with 2016 national champion Stanford coming in at No. 2.
Utah, ranked No. 4, celebrated its highest preseason conference ranking since it joined the Pac-12 in 2012. The Utes, who will be led by senior All-American outside hitter Adora Anae, even received one first-place vote.
Penn State earned the No. 1 spot in the Big Ten's preseason coaches poll, beating out last year's conference champion Nebraska, 2015 winner Minnesota, and 2014 titleholder Wisconsin. The selection marks the fourth time in the past five seasons and the 11th time in 13 years that the 16-time conference champion Nittany Lions have been chosen as preseason conference favorites.
For the third year in a row, North Carolina was pegged as the preseason favorite in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The ACC coaches unanimously chose the reigning champion Tar Heels as the No. 1 preseason team, with Florida State coming in at No. 2.
The race in the Southeastern Conference was a tight one, with Florida taking the No. 1 spot with seven first-place votes and 139 points and No. 2 Kentucky right on the Gators' heels with six first-place votes and 138 points.
Texas, which ranked No. 1 in the nation in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Preseason Top 25, continued its streak as the Big 12's preseason favorite, locking in the No. 1 spot in the conference poll for the seventh consecutive year. Last season's Big 12 champion Kansas came in second, with three first-place votes to Texas' six.
See the complete preseason polls and preseason all-conference list from each of the Power Five conferences below.
ACC Preseason Poll
Rank | School | First-Place Votes | Total Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | North Carolina | 14 | 196 |
2 | Florida State | 169 | |
3 | Pitt | 168 | |
4 | Notre Dame | 149 | |
5 | NC State | 140 | |
6 | Miami | 136 | |
7 | Duke | 118 | |
8 | Louisville | 104 | |
9 | Georgia Tech | 99 | |
10 | Syracuse | 75 | |
11 | Wake Forest | 69 | |
12 | Virginia Tech | 54 | |
13 | Virginia | 50 | |
14 | Boston College | 28 | |
15 | Clemson | 20 |
ACC Preseason All-Conference
Player | School | Pos. | Ht. | Yr. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Kamalani Akeo | Pittsburgh | S | 5-7 | JR |
Bree Bailey | NC State | OH | 6-4 | GS |
Julia Brown | NC State | OH | 6-1 | SR |
Tess Clark | Louisville | MB/OH | 6-3 | SR |
Santita Ebangwese | Syracuse | MB | 6-0 | JR |
Taylor Fricano | North Carolina | MB/OPP | 6-4 | SR |
Sam Fry | Notre Dame | MB | 6-0 | SR |
Caroline Holt | Notre Dame | S | 5-8 | SR |
Milica Kubura | Florida State | OPP | 6-4 | SR |
Taylor Leath | North Carolina | OH | 6-3 | JR |
Kylie Long | Wake Forest | OH | 6-2 | SR |
Leah Meyer | Duke | MB | 6-3 | JR |
Molly Sauer | Louisville | L | 5-11 | JR |
Julia Scoles | North Carolina | OH | 6-1 | SO |
Gabriela Stavnetchei | Georgia Tech | OH | 5-10 | SR |
Olga Strantzali | Miami | OH | 6-1 | SR |
Haley Templeton | Miami | S | 6-0 | RS JR |
Big 12 Preseason Poll
Rank | School | First-Place Votes | Total Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Texas | 6 | 62 |
2 | Kansas | 3 | 59 |
3 | Baylor | 47 | |
4 | Iowa State | 46 | |
5 | Kansas State | 35 | |
6 | West Virginia | 24 | |
7 | TCU | 23 | |
8 | Oklahoma | 15 | |
9 | Texas Tech | 13 |
Big 12 Preseason All-Conference
Player | School | Pos. | Ht. | Yr. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Reyn Akiu | Texas Tech | L | 5-2 | JR |
Payton Caffrey | West Virginia | OH | 6-0 | SO |
Madison Drescher | Oklahoma | OH | 6-2 | JR |
Ainise Havili | Kansas | S | 5-10 | SR |
Ebony Nwanebu | Texas | OPP | 6-4 | SR |
Chiaka Ogbogu | Texas | MB | 6-2 | SR |
Kelsie Payne | Kansas | OPP | 6-3 | SR |
Madison Rigdon | Kansas | OH | 6-0 | SR |
Jess Schaben | Iowa State | OH | 6-2 | JR |
Katie Staiger | Baylor | OH | 6-1 | SR |
Bryna Vogel | Kansas State | OPP | 6-0 | SR |
Anna Walsh | TCU | MB | 6-2 | JR |
Micaya White | Texas | OH | 6-1 | SO |
Big Ten Preseason Poll
Rank | School |
---|---|
1 | Penn State |
2 | Nebraska |
3 | Minnesota |
4 | Michigan State |
5 | Wisconsin |
6 | Purdue |
7 | Michigan |
8 | Ohio State |
9 | Illinois |
10 | Iowa |
11 | Maryland |
12 | Northwestern |
13 | Indiana |
14 | Rutgers |
Big Ten Preseason All-Conference
Player | School | Pos. | Ht. | Yr. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ali Bastianelli | Illinois | MB | 6-3 | JR |
Danielle Cuttino | Purdue | OH | 6-4 | SR |
Mikaela Foecke | Nebraska | OH | 6-3 | JR |
Ali Frantti | Penn State | OH | 6-1 | SR |
Alyssa Garvelink | Michigan State | MB | 6-4 | SR |
Molly Haggerty | Wisconsin | OH | 6-1 | SO |
Alexis Hart | Minnesota | OH | 6-0 | SO |
Kelly Hunter | Nebraska | S | 5-11 | SR |
Claire Kieffer-Wright | Michigan | MB | 6-1 | SR |
Simone Lee | Penn State | OH | 6-1 | SR |
Molly Lohman | Minnesota | MB | 6-3 | SR |
Jordyn Poulter | Illinois | S | 6-2 | JR |
Samantha Seliger-Swenson | Minnesota | S | 5-11 | JR |
Haleigh Washington | Penn State | MB | 6-3 | SR |
Tionna Williams | Wisconsin | MB | 6-2 | JR |
Pac-12 Preseason Poll
Rank | School | First-Place Votes | Total Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Washington | 8 | 118 |
2 | Stanford | 3 | 113 |
3 | Oregon | 93 | |
4 | Utah | 1 | 88 |
5 | UCLA | 83 | |
6 | USC | 71 | |
7 | Washington State | 66 | |
8 | Arizona | 51 | |
9 | Colorado | 38 | |
10 | Oregon State | 33 | |
11 | California | 23 | |
12 | Arizona State | 15 |
Pac-12 Preseason All-Conference
Player | Team | Pos. | Ht. | Yr. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Taylor Agost | Oregon | OH | 6-2 | SR |
Adora Anae | Utah | OH | 6-1 | SR |
Reily Buechler | UCLA | OH | 6-1 | SR |
Crissy Jones | Washington | OH | 6-2 | SR |
Audriana Fitzmorris | Stanford | MB | 6-6 | SO |
Morgan Hentz | Stanford | L | 5-9 | SO |
Khalia Lanier | USC | OH | 6-2 | SO |
Merete Lutz | Stanford | MB | 6-8 | RS SR |
Mary-Kate Marshall | Oregon State | OH | 6-1 | SR |
Kathryn Plummer | Stanford | OH/OPP | 6-6 | SO |
Courtney Schwan | Washington | OH | 6-1 | SR |
Ronika Stone | Oregon | MB | 6-2 | SO |
Bailey Tanner | Washington | S | 6-1 | SR |
Lindsey Vander Weide | Oregon | OPP/OH | 6-3 | JR |
SEC Preseason Poll
Rank | School | First-Place Votes | Points |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Florida | 7 | 139 |
2 | Kentucky | 6 | 138 |
3 | Missouri | 121 | |
4 | Texas A&M | 110 | |
5 | Auburn | 96 | |
6 | Tennessee | 79 | |
7 | South Carolina | 73 | |
8 | Arkansas | 70 | |
9 | LSU | 56 | |
10 | Alabama | 48 | |
11 | Georgia | 42 | |
12 | Ole Miss | 28 | |
13 | Mississippi State | 14 |
SEC Preseason All-Conference
Player | School | Pos. | Ht. | Yr. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rhamat Alhassan | Florida | MB | 6-4 | SR |
Kaitlyn Blake | Texas A&M | MB/OPP | 6-2 | JR |
Kaz Brown | Kentucky | MB | 6-4 | SR |
Melanie Crow | Missouri | OH | 6-1 | RS SR |
Ashley Dusek | Kentucky | L | 5-7 | SR |
Leah Edmond | Kentucky | OH | 6-2 | SO |
Alyssa Munlyn | Missouri | MB | 6-2 | JR |
Mikayla Shields | South Carolina | OPP/OH | 6-0 | SO |
Carli Snyder | Florida | OH | 6-1 | SR |
Pilar Victoria | Arkansas | OH | 5-11 | RS SR |
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