BYU chosen second in MPSF Preseason Poll

PROVO, Utah – The BYU men’s volleyball team collected 134 points and two of the 13 possible first-place votes to take the No. 2 spot in the 2013 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

UC Irvine finished in the top spot with 143 points and 11 first-place votes. The nine-point separation (143-134) between UCI and BYU ties for the second largest gap between the top-two teams in the history of the poll, while the first-place vote difference of nine (11-2) is the largest ever.

The Cougars are coming off a 24-win season last year and a second-place tie in the MPSF. BYU returns all-conference honorees Russ Lavaja, Josue Rivera and Taylor Sander. The team consists of eight talented newcomers to compliment a core of 12 returning players.

BYU's 2013 season begins Jan. 4 when the Cougars welcome Hawaii to the Smith Fieldhouse.

Rank	Team	Points (First-Place Votes)	2011 Record	2012 MPSF Finish
1	UC Irvine	143 (11)	26-5 Overall; 17-5 MPSF	#4 (MPSF/NCAA Champion)
2	BYU	134 (2)	24-7 Overall; 17-5 MPSF	#2T (MPSF Semifinal)
3	Pepperdine	113	14-14 Overall; 9-13 MPSF	#7 (MPSF Quarterfinal)
4	Stanford	110	22-5 Overall; 17-5 MPSF	#2T (MPSF Final)
5	UCLA	94	22-8 Overall; 16-6 MPSF	#5 (MPSF Quarterfinal)
6	Long Beach State	85	15-15 Overall; 10-12 MPSF	#6 (MPSF Quarterfinal)
7	USC	83	24-6 Overall; 18-4 MPSF	#1 (MPSF/NCAA Finals)
8	CS Northridge	61	12-18 Overall; 8-14 MPSF	#8 (MPSF Quarterfinal)
9	UC Santa Barbara	55	7-19 Overall; 5-17 MPSF	#10T
10	Cal Baptist	49	12-16 Overall;1st Year MPSF	N/A
11	Pacific	35	8-20 Overall; 5-17 MPSF	#10T
12	Hawaii	30	7-20 Overall; 4-18 MPSF	#12
13	UC San Diego	22	9-19 Overall; 6-16 MPSF	#9