AMES, Iowa – Iowa State’s volleyball team will once again has the respect of the nation’s coaches before it steps onto the court as the Cyclones are ranked at No. 15 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Preseason Poll.
This marks the sixth consecutive year that the Cyclones find a spot in the top-25 with all six appearances being among the top-18 squads.
Iowa State continues to rack up preseason recognition with the dawn of the new season only a couple of weeks away. Last week, Mackenzie Bigbee, Kristen Hahn and Victoria Hurtt were named to the 2013 Big 12 Preseason Team with Hahn and Hurtt being unanimous selections.
The Cyclones were chosen to finish second by the league’s coaches last week, only behind defending NCAA Champions Texas, who are ranked No. 1 in the AVCA Preseason poll. Fellow Big 12 member Kansas appears in the AVCA poll at No. 20.
Many of Iowa State’s opponents appear in and around the rankings. Nebraska makes an appearance at No. 10 with Dayton coming in at No. 22. 2013 opponents that were among teams that received votes included San Diego, Illinois, Oklahoma, Kansas State, St. Mary’s (CA), Texas A&M and Northern Iowa.
Iowa State will hold the annual Cardinal and Gold Scrimmage on Aug. 24 at 1 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum. Fans are encouraged to come early as Christy Johnson-Lynch and the Cyclone coaching staff will be hosting “Chalk Talk”. The event begins at 11:30 a.m. in Hilton Coliseum and is an opportunity for fans to learn about the rules and strategies of volleyball and ask questions to the Iowa State coaching staff.
Iowa State’s regular season will begin in Grand Forks, N.D. at the UND Classic against South Dakota State on Aug. 30 at 11 a.m.
2013 AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Texas (55)
2. Penn State (3)
3. Stanford (2)
4. USC
5. Washington
6. Minnesota
7. Michigan
8. Oregon
9. Florida
10. Nebraska
11. Hawai’i
12. UCLA
13. BYU
14. Michigan State
15. Iowa State
16. Purdue
17. Kentucky
18. Florida State
19. Louisville
20. Kansas
21. Western Kentucky
22. Dayton
23. Ohio State
24. Wichita State
25. Creighton
