PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State volleyball was picked to finish second in the Preseason Pac-12 Coaches' Poll as announced by the league office Thursday. The Cougars also came in at No. 21 nationally in the first American Volleyball Coaches' Association (AVCA) Top-25 poll of the season which was announced by the NCAA Division I volleyball governing body on Tuesday.
The second-place point tally was tied for Washington State's highest all-time preseason Pac-12 ranking — the Cougars were also picked to finish second prior to the start of their elite eight run in 1996. Having taken over a Washington State squad that was picked to finish 12
th in her first season on the sidelines as head coach, Jen Greeny led the Cougars to a third-place finish in the conference last year after posting a 14-6 league record.
Earlier this week, the AVCA released its annual preseason coaches' poll which saw Washington State fall in at No. 21 in the nation, the sixth-highest preseason ranking all-time for the Cougs and the highest since being voted No. 18 in the 2021 preseason poll. The Cougs will see four top-25 teams during its non-conference schedule alone, including top-ranked Texas (Sept. 15), No. 4 Louisville (Aug. 26), No. 15 Baylor (Sept. 13), and 17th-ranked BYU (Sept. 8).
The Cougs will open their 2023 campaign next week as they travel to Louisville, Ky., to play Wright State (Aug. 25), No. 4 Louisville (Aug. 26), and Troy (Aug. 27) to kick off nonconference play.
For all the latest WSU volleyball news, photos and videos, like the team on Facebook (facebook.com/WSUCougarVB), or follow on Twitter (@WSUCougarVB) and Instagram (@wsucougarvb).
2023 Pac-12 Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll
| Rk. |
Team |
Pts |
| 1. |
Stanford (11) |
121 |
| 2. |
Washington State |
105 |
| 3. |
Oregon (1) |
103 |
| 4 |
USC |
91 |
| 5. |
UCLA |
75 |
| 6. |
Colorado |
67 |
| 7. |
Washington |
62 |
| 8. |
Arizona |
54 |
| 9. |
Utah |
49 |
| 10. |
Arizona State |
28 |
| 11. |
Oregon State |
23 |
| 12. |
California |
14 |
2023 AVCA Division I Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll
| Rk |
School (1st-place voets) |
Pts |
| 1 |
Texas (44) |
1564 |
| 2 |
Wisconsin (7) |
1489 |
| 3 |
Stanford (13) |
1449 |
| 4 |
Louisville |
1388 |
| 5 |
Nebraska |
1294 |
| 5 |
Pittsburgh |
1294 |
| 7 |
Minnesota |
1105 |
| 8 |
Penn State |
1091 |
| 9 |
Oregon |
1067 |
| 10 |
Kentucky |
899 |
| 11 |
Florida |
841 |
| 12 |
Marquette |
768 |
| 13 |
San Diego |
760 |
| 14 |
Ohio State |
745 |
| 15 |
Baylor |
694 |
| 16 |
Purdue |
644 |
| 17 |
BYU |
617 |
| 18 |
Creighton |
546 |
| 19 |
Houston |
421 |
| 20 |
Georgia Tech |
394 |
| 21 |
Washington State |
359 |
| 22 |
Southern California |
204 |
| 23 |
Rice |
192 |
| 24 |
Western Kentucky |
181 |
| 25 |
Arkansas |
122 |
Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots: Kansas 99; Tennessee 84; Washington 63; Auburn 62; UCF 53; Hawai'i 49; Miami (FL) 45; Georgia 35; LSU 28; TCU 20; Illinois 18; Utah 18; Iowa State 14; Loyola Marymount 14; Pepperdine 14; Florida State 12; James Madison 5.
