Surprise! Women’s Volleyball Still Number 1
In an announcement sure to surprise no one, Penn State’s women’s volleyball team has been ranked preseason #1 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll. The Nittany Lions are looking to win their 4th consecutive national championship and continuing to extend their record-setting 102 match winning streak. The team will have to do so without first team All-Americans Megan Hodge and Alisha Glass, who served as anchors for the 2009 season. In their place comes a highly regarded freshman class looking to supplement the strong core of returnees, including 6 with starting experience.
Following the Nittany Lions in the top five are Nebraska, Texas, Stanford and Hawaii. Big Ten foes Illinois and Minnesota are tied for 6th. Below are the complete rankings.
| Rank | School (First-Place Votes) | Total Points | 2009 Record | 2009 Final Rank |
| 1 | Penn State (40) | 1456 | 38-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Nebraska (16) | 1384 | 26-7 | 5 |
| 3 | Texas (4) | 1352 | 29-2 | 2 |
| 4 | Stanford | 1296 | 23-8 | 7 |
| 5 | Hawai’i | 1166 | 32-3 | 3 |
| T-6 | Illinois | 1149 | 31-3 | 10 |
| T-6 | Minnesota | 1149 | 28-9 | 4 |
| 8 | Washington | 1061 | 24-6 | 13 |
| 9 | Iowa State | 1005 | 27-5 | 6 |
| 10 | Southern California | 947 | 22-10 | 16 |
| 11 | California | 848 | 21-11 | 8 |
| 12 | Michigan | 793 | 27-10 | 9 |
| 13 | Florida | 722 | 25-6 | 15 |
| 14 | Kentucky | 678 | 29-5 | 12 |
| 15 | Florida State | 671 | 31-3 | 11 |
| 16 | UCLA | 462 | 24-9 | 14 |
| 17 | Colorado State | 436 | 25-6 | 17 |
| 18 | Arizona | 325 | 19-11 | NR |
| 19 | Tennessee | 310 | 27-8 | 24 |
| 20 | Oregon | 282 | 20-10 | 18 |
| 21 | Dayton | 266 | 30-4 | 25 |
| 22 | San Diego | 225 | 18-7 | NR |
| 23 | LSU | 203 | 25-7 | 19 |
| 24 | Northern Iowa | 195 | 31-3 | 23 |
| 25 | St. Mary’s (Calif.) | 156 | 23-5 | 22 |
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