Aug. 14, 2007
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COLUMBIA, Mo.—The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) released the results of its national preseason coaches' poll on Tuesday afternoon. Missouri was ranked No. 20 on the poll, with three other Big 12 squads earning mention.
The Tigers are coming off a 2006 campaign that included a seventh-consecutive birth to the NCAA Tournament. As a result, Mizzou and Nebraska are now the only programs in the Big 12 Conference to have made the post-season every year since 2000.
Mizzou won their first-round matchup in the tournament for the third-straight year, knocking off No. 21 Santa Clara in a three-game sweep in Palo Alto, Calif. The Tigers forced eventual national runner-up Stanford to a five-game thriller in the second round on the Cardinal's home floor, coming back from a game down and 16-10 deficit in the fourth stanza to produce a fifth-game.
Despite an 18-13 final record, the end-of-the-season surge produced a No. 21 final ranking in the AVCA Top 25, marking Mizzou's third-straight year among the nation's best. Only 15 teams have been sited on at least the last three final national polls.
Defending NCAA Champion and Big 12 foe Nebraska was the coaches' preseason No. 1 pick. Texas was picked fourth in the poll behind Stanford and Penn State. Oklahoma was the other Big 12 team in the top 25, chiming in at No. 22. Colorado, Iowa State, and Texas A&M all received votes in the poll.
Mizzou will host the annual Black & Gold Match on Thursday, beginning at 6:30 p.m. The Tigers open non-conference play at Ole Miss' Magnolia Classic that begins next Friday, the 24th. The Tigers will face four 2006 NCAA Tournament teams in the non-conference portion of the schedule.
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CSTV/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll
2007 PRESEASON POLL: August 14, 2007
Rank |
School (First-Place Votes) |
Total Points |
2006 Record |
2006 Final Rank |
1 |
Nebraska (53) |
1491 |
33-1 |
1 |
2 |
Stanford (7) |
1443 |
30-4 |
2 |
3 |
Penn State |
1350 |
32-3 |
5 |
4 |
Texas |
1269 |
24-7 |
7 |
5 |
UCLA |
1214 |
33-4 |
3 |
6 |
Southern California |
1197 |
27-5 |
8 |
7 |
Florida |
1131 |
30-3 |
10 |
8 |
Washington |
1088 |
29-5 |
4 |
9 |
Minnesota |
1032 |
26-8 |
6 |
10 |
Hawai'i |
982 |
29-6 |
9 |
11 |
Wisconsin |
924 |
26-7 |
10 |
12 |
California |
746 |
22-10 |
13 |
13 |
Purdue |
658 |
23-11 |
18 |
14 |
Cal Poly |
636 |
23-6 |
17 |
15 |
San Diego |
614 |
26-6 |
14 |
16 |
Ohio State |
586 |
25-8 |
16 |
17 |
BYU |
375 |
25-6 |
20 |
18 |
Duke |
284 |
29-4 |
22 |
19 |
Long Beach State |
268 |
26-6 |
NR |
20 |
Missouri |
253 |
18-13 |
21 |
21 |
Utah |
231 |
28-4 |
15 |
22 |
Oklahoma |
205 |
26-5 |
12 |
23 |
LSU |
200 |
26-6 |
19 |
24 |
Santa Clara |
194 |
20-8 |
NR |
25 |
Ohio |
178 |
28-5 |
25 |
Others Receiving Votes and appearing on two or more ballots: Louisville 157; Pepperdine 126; New Mexico State 104; Notre Dame 86; Colorado State 76; Colorado 63; Arizona 44; Iowa State 39; Michigan 31; Northern Iowa 29; Texas A&M 29; Kentucky 24; St. John's 24; Alabama 22; Michigan State 22; UC Santa Barbara 12; Wichita State 11; Tennessee 10; Middle Tennessee 9; Sacramento State 5; Georgia Tech 3; Oregon 3.
Ten schools were listed on only one ballot for a total of 22 points.
Next poll : August 27, 2007