Utah Volleyball Ranked No. 19 In AVCA Preseason Poll
SALT LAKE CITY – Utah volleyball came in ranked No. 19 in the AVCA Division I Coaches preseason poll, which was released Monday afternoon. It is the fifth-straight season the Utes have been ranked or have received votes in the preseason poll.
Utah is coming off a 13-5 overall record in the spring season that saw a conference-only slate until NCAA Tournament play. The Utes ranked as high as No. 7 in last spring's AVCA polls, which is the highest ranking in program history.
Utah returns senior Dani Drews for a super senior season, who is fresh off a Pac-12 Player of the Year campaign and her second-straight selection as the Pacific South Region Player of the Year. Drews became the first Ute in program history to win back-to-back region awards, as well as the first player in history to become a two-time first team AVCA All-American.
Alongside Drews, key returners for the Utes include outside hitter and All-Pac-12 honorable mention selection Madelyn Robinson, last year's starting libero Vanessa Ramirez, along with 2019 All-Pac-12 freshman team honoree Zoe Weatherington.
With a total of 11 returners, Utah volleyball also welcomes newcomers Stef Jankiewicz, Amelia Van Der Werff, Kiley McMurtrey and Kamry Bailey who will look to make an immediate impact.
Utah will face a total of eight opponents ranked in the AVCA preseason poll this season, highlighted by a road match at No. 5 Nebraska. Including Utah, the Pac-12 has six squads in the top-25 and two receiving votes. At the Utah Classic, Utah will go head-to-head with No. 20 San Diego, and Hawaii and Cal Poly, which are both receiving votes in the preseason poll.
2021 AVCA Preseason Poll
| Rank | School (First-Place) | Total Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas (32) | 1561 |
| 2 | Wisconsin (15) | 1522 |
| 3 | Kentucky (17) | 1435 |
| 4 | Washington | 1355 |
| 5 | Nebraska | 1346 |
| 6 | Florida | 1275 |
| 7 | Minnesota | 1130 |
| 8 | Purdue | 1096 |
| 9 | Pittsburgh | 1085 |
| 10 | Baylor | 1000 |
| 11 | Ohio State | 981 |
| 12 | Penn State | 902 |
| 13 | Louisville | 806 |
| 14 | Oregon | 776 |
| 15 | BYU | 734 |
| 16 | Western Kentucky | 553 |
| 17 | UCLA | 496 |
| 18 | Washington State | 431 |
| 19 | Utah | 398 |
| 20 | San Diego | 319 |
| 21 | Stanford | 264 |
| 22 | Pepperdine | 234 |
| 23 | Rice | 223 |
| 24 | Georgia Tech | 193 |
| 25 | Notre Dame | 157 |
Receving Votes: Southern California 105; Creighton 69; Missouri 51; Hawai'i 47; LSU 41; UNLV 33; Michigan 28; Marquette 27; Dayton 25; Kansas State 13; Tennessee 13; Kansas 11; Texas State 11; Illinois 9; Arizona 8; UC San Diego 8; Wright State 5; Cal Poly 4; Arkansas 2.
*Utah's 2021 opponents are italicized.