Gators Ranked No. 9 in AVCA Preseason Poll
Monday, August 12, 2013 | Volleyball
The defending SEC Champion Florida volleyball team, coming off a 27-5 record and an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance in 2012, has earned a No. 9 ranking in the 2013 American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I Preseason Coaches' Top-25 Poll, the AVCA office in Lexington, Ky., announced Monday.
The AVCA's top-five teams include defending NCAA Champion Texas (No. 1), Penn State (No. 2), Stanford (No. 3), Southern California (No. 4) and Washington (No. 5).
The Gators are one of two Southeastern Conference teams ranked in the top-25 poll to begin the 2013 campaign. Eastern Division foe Kentucky is ranked 17th, while Texas A&M is receiving votes.
Florida's non-conference opponents ranked in the 2013 AVCA preseason poll are No. 2 Penn State, No. 3 Stanford and No. 18 Florida State.
Florida will square off with two of the top three teams in the AVCA preseason poll this season at the Nike Big Four Classic, which pits No. 2 Penn State and No. 3 Stanford against the No. 9 Gators at Gregory Gymnasium on the campus of No. 1 Texas.
Florida's ranking marks the 22nd consecutive year that Mary Wise's squad has been regarded as one of the nation's top-20 teams headed into the season.
Florida begins the 2013 campaign Aug. 30-31, when they host the Campus USA Credit Union Invitational, featuring a lineup of the Gators, New Orleans, LIU-Brooklyn and Duke. The Gators were picked to win the Southeastern Conference title this season. Season tickets are on sale now for the 2013 Florida volleyball season and fans have multiple options to enjoy the Gators in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.
If Gator fans would like to catch a glimpse of the Orange and Blue before August 30th, Verizon Fan Day will take place Saturday, August 17 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. Admission is free and gates will open at 2:30 p.m.
For all of the latest information on Florida volleyball, please log on to www.GatorZone.com/Volleyball or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow Florida volleyball on Twitter at @GatorZoneVB or www.twitter.com/GatorZoneVB and Coach Mary Wise on Twitter at @GatorMary or www.twitter.com/GatorMary. You can also find the Gators on Facebook.
| 2013 AVCA DIVISION I PRESEASON POLL | ||||
| Rank | School (First-Place Votes) | Total Points | 2012 Record | 2012 Final |
| 1 | Texas (55) | 1490 | 29-4 | 1 |
| 2 | Penn State (3) | 1425 | 33-3 | 3 |
| 3 | Stanford (2) | 1379 | 30-4 | 4 |
| 4 | Southern California | 1307 | 30-6 | 6 |
| 5 | Washington | 1167 | 25-7 | 9 |
| 6 | Minnesota | 1140 | 27-8 | 8 |
| 7 | Michigan | 1120 | 27-12 | 5 |
| 8 | Oregon | 1020 | 30-5 | 2 |
| 9 | FLORIDA | 996 | 27-5 | 10 |
| 10 | Nebraska | 962 | 26-7 | 7 |
| 11 | Hawai'i | 825 | 27-3 | 11 |
| 12 | UCLA | 791 | 23-8 | 13 |
| 13 | BYU | 728 | 28-4 | 12 |
| 14 | Michigan State | 676 | 25-10 | 16 |
| 15 | Iowa State | 650 | 22-8 | 14 |
| 16 | Purdue | 585 | 23-11 | 15 |
| 17 | Kentucky | 504 | 22-11 | 20 |
| 18 | Florida State | 479 | 28-4 | 18 |
| 19 | Louisville | 389 | 30-4 | 17 |
| 20 | Kansas | 304 | 26-7 | 25 |
| 21 | Western Kentucky | 262 | 33-4 | 21 |
| 22 | Dayton | 229 | 27-5 | 19 |
| 23 | Ohio State | 202 | 23-11 | 22 |
| 24 | Wichita State | 172 | 24-10 | 23 |
| 25 | Creighton | 133 | 29-4 | 24 |
Others Receiving Votes and appearing on two or more ballots: San Diego 101; North Carolina 68; Pepperdine 65; Illinois 49; Miami (FL) 41; Oklahoma 35; Kansas State 32; Long Beach State 30; St. Mary's (CA) 27; Texas A&M 20; Wisconsin 17; California 16; Colorado State 15; Notre Dame 6; San Diego State 6; Northern Iowa 3.
Eight teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 33 combined points.
