Wisconsin just misses top spot in preseason volleyball coaches poll; Marquette ranks 12th
MADISON – The way the voters for the American Volleyball Coaches Association/Taraflex poll see it, Wisconsin is second only to defending national champion Texas.
The Badgers are ranked second in the preseason poll, which was announced Tuesday afternoon.
Texas received 44 of 64 first-place votes and totaled 1,564 points. Wisconsin (1,489) received seven first-place votes. Stanford claimed the No. 3 ranking, though it had the second-most first-place votes (13).
Defending Big East regular-season champion Marquette is ranked 12th, its highest preseason ranking ever.
This marks the first time in three years the two state programs are ranked in the preseason poll. In the 2020-21 season that was played in the spring due to the pandemic, UW opened at No. 1 and Marquette was No. 20.
More: AVCA preseason top 25
The Big Ten has the most ranked teams (6) of any conference: The Badgers are followed by No. 5 Nebraska, No. 7 Minnesota, No. 8 Penn State, No. 14 Ohio State and No. 16 Purdue. No other conference has more than four representatives.
Wisconsin's ranking is three spots better than its final 2022 ranking. From that team, UW returns both its setters as well as 82% of its kills, 73% of its blocks and 90% of its digs. The squad also boasts of two high-level transfers in outside hitter Temi Thomas-Ailara and middle blocker Carter Booth.
In additon to their conference rivals and Marquette, three of the Badgers' non-conference opponents are ranked: No. 11 Florida, No. 15 Baylor and No. 25 Arkansas.
Marquette, meanwhile, returns all five players who received all-Big East distinction last season. Creighton, which is ranked 18th, is the other Big East team in the poll. In addition to the Badgers, the Golden Eagles have four other ranked teams on their schedule: No. 5 Pittsburgh, No. 9 Oregon, No. 16 Purdue and No. 24 Western Kentucky.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin, Marquette volleyball ranked in coaches preseason top 25
