IRVINE, Calif. -- For the second consecutive year, UC Irvine tops the AVCA Division I-II Men's Coaches Top 15 Preseason Poll.
The two-time defending champions rank first with 246 total points and nine first places votes. UCLA was second at 238 and three first place votes followed by BYU in third, receiving 235 votes and four first place nods. Also garnering one first place vote was Long Beach State (218) at No. 4 and Stanford at No. 5 (202)."I'm intrigued by this ranking," head coach David Kniffin said. "Kevin Tillie was, in my estimation, the best player in the country last year. Plus we lost our two-time national championship starting setter in Chris Austin. I think there will be more parity in the league than in the past few years. We're happy to wear the target for now, but are also prepared to have it move around a bit."
In 2013, the Anteaters won their fourth national championship in the last seven years, ending with a 25-7 overall record and the final No.1 ranking. UCI returns 10 letterwinners, including All-Americans Michael Brinkley and Collin Mehring in 2014.
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