Cougars ranked No. 3 in AVCA preseason poll

PROVO, Utah – BYU men’s volleyball was voted the No. 3 team in the nation in the AVCA Division I-II Men’s Preseason Poll, the association announced Thursday.

BYU earned a 27-4 overall and 19-3 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation record in 2016. The Cougars won the regular-season conference championship outright, as well as the league tournament to get the autobid to the NCAA tournament. BYU beat Long Beach State in the NCAA semifinals before falling to Ohio State in the national championship match.

The Cougars lost six seniors from last year's squad, but just one starter in Michael Hatch. BYU has eight newcomers this season as well as two redshirt freshmen.

The defending national champion Buckeyes were voted as the No. 1 team, followed by fellow MPSF foe UCLA at No. 2. Ohio State received all but one first-place vote. The Cougars will face 10 teams this year currently ranked in the preseason poll.

For a complete list of the preseason top-15 selections, visit the AVCA poll page.

BYU kicks off the season on the road during the first week in January, traveling to Illinois to face No. 6 Lewis and and No. 11 Loyola-Chicago.