Aug. 14, 2018 2018 PRESEASON POLL VIDEO
SAN BRUNO, Calif. – After extending its own conference record in marching to its sixth consecutive NCAA Sweet-16 berth, BYU was picked as the favorite to win the 2018 West Coast Conference Volleyball Championship in the annual preseason poll of the WCC's 10 coaches. The Cougars have won or shared five of the last six WCC titles including three straight.
For the second straight year, BYU was a unanimous selection to win the conference title, earning 81 points and a maximum nine first place votes. After marching to its eighth straight NCAA Tournament last season and sharing the 2017 championship with the Cougars, San Diego collected 73 points and the remaining first place vote for second place in the poll.
Loyola Marymount was tabbed third with 61 points, followed closely by PCH rival Pepperdine with 59. Gonzaga rounded out the top half of the predicted leaderboard with 46 votes.
BYU is one of two WCC programs appearing on the 2018 AVCA Preseason poll, checking in at No. 8. San Diego sits at No. 14. Last season both the Cougars (9) and the Toreros (13) were ranked in the final poll. BYU has cracked the top-15 in the last six final polls, while San Diego has appeared in the last two surveys.
Santa Clara snared 42 points for sixth place followed by Saint Mary's (35), Portland (26), Pacific (16) and San Francisco (11).
BYU dominated the preseason All-WCC team with five selections, led by leading vote-getter and 2017 Player of the Year Roni Jones-Perry. The 2017 AVCA All-American is the leading returning offensive player in the country after averaging 4.82 kills per set (569 total) as a junior. Four programs placed at least one student-athlete on the preseason All-West Coast Conference Team. San Diego and Loyola Marymount each placed a pair of preseason selections, while Pepperdine added one.
All 10 West Coast Conference teams open the 2018 campaign Friday, August 24. Follow @WCCsports on Twitter for updates throughout the season.
2018 WCC Preseason Volleyball Coaches Poll
Team (First Place Vote) | | Pts. |
1. BYU | (9) | 81 |
2. San Diego | (1) | 73 |
3. Loyola Marymount | | 61 |
4. Pepperdine | | 59 |
5. Gonzaga | | 46 |
6. Santa Clara | | 42 |
7. Saint Mary's | | 35 |
8. Portland | | 26 |
9. Pacific | | 16 |
10. San Francisco | | 11 |
2018 All-WCC Preseason Volleyball Team
Name | Institution | Yr. | Pos. |
Kaity Edwards | San Diego | Sr. | MB |
Kennedy Eschenberg | BYU | So. | MB |
Hannah Frohling | Pepperdine | Jr. | OH |
Lyndie Haddock-Eppich | BYU | Sr. | S |
Roni Jones-Perry | BYU | Sr. | OH |
Mary Lake | BYU | Jr. | LIB |
McKenna Miller | BYU | Jr. | OH |
Addie Picha | San Diego | Sr. | MB |
Megan Rice | Loyola Marymount | Jr. | OH |
Savannah Slattery | Loyola Marymount | Jr. | OH |