Utah voted preseason favorite in 2020 Pac-12 Women's Volleyball race
SAN FRANCISCO - For the first time in the program’s Pac-12 history, UTAH has been voted by the Conference’s head coaches as the preseason Pac-12 Women’s Volleyball favorite for the upcoming 2020 season to be held during the winter and spring of 2021.
The Utes secured nine first-place votes and totaled 119 points for their highest preseason polling since joining the Conference in 2011 (previous high was fourth in 2017).
Only two points separated second through fourth as 2019 league runner-up WASHINGTON was voted second (100 points), reigning Pac-12 champion STANFORD was picked third (99 points), and UCLA slotted fourth (98 points), with each team receiving one first-place vote. USC and WASHINGTON STATE complete the top half of the preseason poll.
In addition to the annual coaches poll, the Pac-12 announced the Preseason All-Conference Team as voted on by the league’s coaches.
Returning AVCA First Team All-American Dani Drews of Utah and 2019 Pac-12 Player of the Year Mac May of UCLA headline the 14-player list.
Drews is joined by her Utes teammate and Second Team All-American Kenzie Koerber on the preseason team, while WASHINGTON STATE’s Magda Jehlárová also made the Pac-12 team after earning Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and AVCA Second Team All-America honors along with Koerber in 2019.
WASHINGTON led all teams with three on the preseason team highlighted by AVCA Third Team All-American Ella May Powell, along with Samantha Drechsel and Lauren Sanders.
The Pac-12 will play a 22-match Conference-only schedule for 2020 beginning on Friday, Jan. 22. All volleyball competitions will be conducted in accordance with the Pac-12 COVID-19 Medical Advisory Committee health and safety recommendations and guidelines available at Pac-12.com/health.
Below are the results of the 2020 Pac-12 preseason coaches’ poll; coaches are not allowed to vote for their own teams (points: 11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1, first-place votes in parentheses).
2020 PAC-12 WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL
| RANK | SCHOOL (First-Place Votes) | PTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Utah (9) | 119 |
| 2. | Washington (1) | 100 |
| 3. | Stanford (1) | 99 |
| 4. | UCLA (1) | 98 |
| 5. | USC | 81 |
| 6. | Washington State | 71 |
| 7. | Oregon | 59 |
| 8. | Colorado | 51 |
| 9. | Arizona State | 41 |
| 10. | Arizona | 34 |
| 11. | California | 26 |
| 12. | Oregon State | 13 |
| PLAYER, TEAM | POS. | HT. | YR. | HOMETOWN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brooke Botkin, USC | OH | 6-2 | Sr. | Houston, Texas |
| Samantha Drechsel, WASH | OH | 6-4 | Sr. | Woodinville, Wash. |
| Dani Drews, UTAH^ | OH | 6-0 | Sr. | Sandy, Utah |
| Jenna Ewert, COLO | S | 5-10 | Jr. | Antioch, Calif. |
| Magda Jehlárová, WSU^* | MB | 6-3 | So. | Prerov, Czech Republic |
| Kendall Kipp, STAN | OH | 6-5 | So. | Newport Beach, Calif. |
| Kenzie Koerber, UTAH^ | OH | 6-3 | Sr. | Chino Hills, Calif. |
| Raquel Lazáro, USC | S | 6-0 | Jr. | Málaga, Spain |
| Mac May, UCLA^# | OH | 6-3 | Sr. | Dubuque, Iowa |
| Meghan McClure, STAN | OH | 6-0 | Sr. | Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif. |
| Brooke Nuneviller, ORE | OH/L | 5-11 | Jr. | Chandler, Ariz. |
| Ella May Powell, WASH^ | S | 6-0 | Jr. | Fayetteville, Ark. |
| Lauren Sanders, WASH | MB | 6-4 | Sr. | Snohomish, Wash. |
| Paige Whipple, ARIZ | OH | 6-1 | Sr. | Salem, Ore. |