Aug. 9, 2012
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - With the regular season just over two weeks away, the Pac-12 Conference announced the results of the preseason women's volleyball coaches poll, with the Huskies coming in fifth. Defending NCAA Champion UCLA led the way with 10 of 12 first-place votes. Last season, the Huskies finished fourth in the Pac-12, tying with Stanford with a 15-7 league record. USC won the league in 2011 and went on to make the NCAA semifinals, followed by UCLA and California, then the Huskies and Cardinal. The Bruins lead the 2012 poll with 120 points. Stanford, with 109 points and receiving two first-place votes, was second in the poll. Third in the polling is USC with 96 points. Oregon, with many returners back, is fourth in the poll after finishing sixth a year ago. The Ducks received 91 points. The Huskies check in fifth with 83 points, followed by California with 77 points. Arizona garnered 56 points to place seventh, followed by Conference-rival Arizona State with 43 points in eighth. Oregon State (41), Utah (39), Washington State (22) and Colorado (15) round out the coaches poll. The preseason coaches poll has been administered every year since the first season of Pac-12 women's volleyball in 1986. It has predicted the regular-season champion correctly 17 times in 26 years. Pac-12 teams have traditionally been among the best in the nation. In 2011, six teams were ranked in the top 25 in the nation all season, with five spending most of the year in the top five. In addition, seven teams earned NCAA Tournament bids, with UCLA and USC advancing to the national semifinals. It will be a landmark year for the Conference, which is getting ready to launch the Pac-12 Networks in six days. Pac-12 volleyball teams will have unprecedented television exposure, with 82 games being televised on the Networks. For a full schedule of televised Pac-12 matches, visit www.pac-12.org. 2012 Pac-12 Volleyball Coaches Poll 1. UCLA (10) 120 |
