Complete Preseason AVCA Poll
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – With the opening weekend of NCAA volleyball just a little over two weeks away, the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) released its preseason poll for the 2016, with the Fighting Illini volleyball team coming in at No. 14 in the season's opening top-25 poll.
Illinois returns 10 letterwinners, including a majority of its starters from its 2015 NCAA Sweet 16 team, including Big Ten All-Freshman Team honorees Jordyn Poulter and Ali Bastianelli, as well as junior libero Brandi Donnelly and hard-hitting seniors Katie Stadick, Michelle Strizak and Naya Crittenden. The Illini will also welcome in the No. 22-ranked recruiting class, including a pair of Top 100 PrepVolleyball.com Senior Aces in Kaylin Korte and Jacqueline Quade, as well as NC State transfer Blayke Hranicka.
Defending National Champion Nebraska garnered the top spot in the AVCA Preseason Poll, followed by Texas in the No. 2 spot. Big Ten foes Minnesota, the reigning Big Ten Champions, and Wisconsin come in at No. 3 and 4, with No. 5 Kansas rounding out the top five.
The Big Ten has a total of seven members ranked in the top 25, including four of the top 10, with Penn State coming in at No. 9, followed by No. 14 Illinois, No. 15 Ohio State and No. 20 Purdue. Additionally, Michigan State and Michigan are receiving votes. Â
Along with its conference opponents, the Illini had two other foes that are either ranked in the top 25 or receiving votes with Stanford (Sept. 9) ranking No. 11 and Oregon (Sept. 9) receiving votes.
The Illini officially open the 2016 season with the 33rd Annual Illini Classic Presented by Hyatt Place on August 26-27 at Huff Hall. Illinois kicks off their campaign with a 7 p.m. CT match against Arkansas on Friday night, before taking on Xavier and Missouri State on Saturday.Â
| 2016 AVCA Preseason Poll |
| Rank |
School (First-Place Votes) |
Total Points |
2015 Record |
2015 Final Rank |
| 1. |
Nebraska (60) |
1594 |
32-4 |
1 |
| 2. |
Texas (3) |
1517 |
30-3 |
2 |
| 3. |
Minnesota |
1368 |
30-5 |
3 |
| 4. |
Wisconsin |
1255 |
26-7 |
10 |
| 5. |
Kansas |
1237 |
30-3 |
4 |
| 6. |
Hawai'i |
1183 |
29-2 |
7 |
| T-7. |
Washington |
1162 |
31-3 |
6 |
| T-7. |
Southern California |
1162 |
33-3 |
5 |
| 9. |
Penn State |
1123 |
28-6 |
9 |
| 10. |
Florida |
1090 |
25-7 |
8 |
| 11. |
Stanford (1) |
979 |
23-7 |
14 |
| 12. |
UCLA |
940 |
25-8 |
12 |
| 13. |
BYU |
806 |
28-4 |
11 |
| 14. |
Illinois |
724 |
21-13 |
15 |
| 15. |
Ohio State |
700 |
25-10 |
13 |
| 16. |
Texas A&M |
600 |
24-7 |
18 |
| 17. |
Florida State |
443 |
25-8 |
20 |
| 18. |
Creighton |
419 |
27-9 |
19 |
| 19. |
North Carolina |
386 |
21-10 |
25 |
| 20. |
Purdue |
335 |
23-10 |
17 |
| 21. |
Loyola Marymount |
295 |
24-9 |
16 |
| 22. |
Western Kentucky |
221 |
32-4 |
22 |
| 23. |
Louisville |
201 |
25-7 |
21 |
| 24. |
Kentucky |
161 |
21-10 |
NR |
| 25. |
Colorado State |
145 |
26-4 |
23 |
Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots:Â San Diego 113; Michigan State 107; Missouri 97; Oregon 85; Michigan 83; Arizona 68; Iowa State 59; Long Beach State 25; Arkansas State 23; Wichita State 21; Arizona State 16; Dayton 6; Marquette 6; TCU 3; Six teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 36 combined points.
For more Fighting Illini volleyball news, stay tuned to FIGHTINGILLINI.com and follow the team on Twitter @IlliniVBall or like Fighting Illini Volleyball on Facebook.
