Huskies Begin Season Ranked No. 4

SEATTLE – The Washington volleyball team will start the 2021 fall right where it ended the 2021 spring – ranked No. 4 in the AVCA national coaches poll. The preseason rankings were unveiled today, with the Huskies residing in the same spot as the final poll from this past season.
 
The Final Four participants from the spring all start out in the top-four of the preseason rankings, but runner-up Texas and semifinalist Wisconsin jumped national champion Kentucky for the No. 1 and No. 2 spots. Kentucky comes in at No. 3 with UW at No. 4, and Nebraska ranked No. 5.
 
Washington will get some early top-25 challenges in non-conference play, as UW will visit 11th-ranked Ohio State in the opening week of the season, on Aug. 28. The Huskies will also play at 22nd-ranked Pepperdine on Sept. 10, and take on Illinois and Cal Poly squads that are both in the "receiving votes" category.
 
Six Pac-12 teams are ranked in the top-25, with the Huskies followed by No. 14 Oregon, No. 17 UCLA, No. 18 Washington State, No. 19 Utah, at No. 21 Stanford. USC and Arizona are also receiving votes.