PULLMAN, Wash. -- The Washington State volleyball team is ranked No. 33 in the 2016 PrepVolleyball.com College Top 50 preseason rankings. The Cougars earned this ranking based on the strength and depth of 12 returning letterwinners and six returning starters including All-Pac-12 first team selection Kyra Holt and Pac-12 All-Freshman first team McKenna Woodford.
This marks the first time the Cougars have been ranked on the College Top 50 preseason list. During the 2015 season, WSU was ranked twice during the season in the PrepVolleyball.com College Top 50: No. 46 (Oct. 12) and No. 44 (Oct. 19).The Cougars also received votes in the AVCA Top 25 Poll on Sept. 21 and again Oct. 12, 2015.
Other Pac-12 Conference members and their 2016 PrepVolleyball.com preseason rankings include: 6. UCLA, 8. Stanford, 12. Washington, 14. Oregon, 16. USC, 25. Arizona, 36. Colorado, 38 Utah, and 40 Arizona State.
WSU will also face three additional preseason-ranked teams, opening the season against No. 21 Kentucky and then taking on No. 29 Purdue at the Purdue Mortar Board Tournament Aug. 26, and at No. 30 Long Beach State Sept. 3.
Defending national champion Nebraska is the number one team on the preseason rankings.
PrepVolleyball.com's College Top 50 rankings are by Chris Tobolski, a member of the website's editorial staff who has more than 10 years of experience covering high school volleyball at the Orange County Register and covering Southern California prep, college and professional volleyball for DailyPrepTalk.com.
This marks the first time the Cougars have been ranked on the College Top 50 preseason list. During the 2015 season, WSU was ranked twice during the season in the PrepVolleyball.com College Top 50: No. 46 (Oct. 12) and No. 44 (Oct. 19).The Cougars also received votes in the AVCA Top 25 Poll on Sept. 21 and again Oct. 12, 2015.
Other Pac-12 Conference members and their 2016 PrepVolleyball.com preseason rankings include: 6. UCLA, 8. Stanford, 12. Washington, 14. Oregon, 16. USC, 25. Arizona, 36. Colorado, 38 Utah, and 40 Arizona State.
WSU will also face three additional preseason-ranked teams, opening the season against No. 21 Kentucky and then taking on No. 29 Purdue at the Purdue Mortar Board Tournament Aug. 26, and at No. 30 Long Beach State Sept. 3.
Defending national champion Nebraska is the number one team on the preseason rankings.
PrepVolleyball.com's College Top 50 rankings are by Chris Tobolski, a member of the website's editorial staff who has more than 10 years of experience covering high school volleyball at the Orange County Register and covering Southern California prep, college and professional volleyball for DailyPrepTalk.com.