Six Pac-12 Women's Volleyball teams ranked in Preseason Poll

SAN FRANCISCO - Defending NCAA Champion STANFORD leads six ranked Pac-12 volleyball teams in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Preseason Coaches poll released today, while two-time defending Pac-12 Champion WASHINGTON was ranked third.

The Cardinal and Huskies both return an experienced squad, including UW’s Courtney Schwan, who is the reigning Pac-12 Player of the Year and Stanford’s Kathryn Plummer, the 2016 AVCA National Freshman of the Year. The Cardinal received 35 first-place votes in the poll, 10 more than first-place Texas, and Washington received two.

Also ranked in the polling are No. 13 UCLA, No. 18 OREGON, No. 23 UTAH  and No. 24 ARIZONA. The Bruins advanced to the NCAA Regional Final last season and welcomes back Reily Buechler, an AVCA Pacific South All-Region pick after ranking eighth in the Pac-12 in kills per set (3.34).

Leading the charge for the Ducks is first-year head coach Matt Ulmer. UO looks to make a seventh-straight NCAA Tournament appearance, relying on veteran standouts senior Taylor Agost, junior Lindsey Vander Weide and sophomore Ronika Stone. First team All-Pac-12 Adora Anae was in the top 10 in the nation in kills per set last season, leading the Utes back to the 2016 NCAA Tournament. The senior returns to lead a squad that is half freshmen. The Wildcats had a strong finish last season in the NCAA Tournament, upsetting a seeded team in the second round. UA has 10 returnees while welcoming a highly-ranked recruiting class to build upon last season’s successes.

USC and WASHINGTON STATE also received votes in the polling.

The Stanford Cardinal won its seventh all-time NCAA title in 2016, tying for the most ever by a team. It also gave the Conference its 15th NCAA crown in the sport, leading all conferences. The 2017 campaign begins Friday, Aug. 26. For more information on the AVCA poll, visit www.avca.org. For team schedules and latest news, visit pac-12.com.