Reigning national champion Texas headlines the 2023 preseason ACVA Division I women's volleyball coaches' poll. The Longhorns earned 1,564 total points and 44 of 64 first-place votes heading into this year.
Trailing Texas are Wisconsin and Stanford at the No. 2 and No. 3 slots, respectively. The Badgers received only seven first-place votes compared to the Cardinal's 13, but Wisconsin garnered 40 more total points. Here is the full top 25 list (with first-place votes in parentheses):
| Rank | School | Total Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas (44) | 1564 |
| 2 | Wisconsin (7) | 1489 |
| 3 | Stanford (13) | 1449 |
| 4 | Louisville | 1388 |
| 5 | Nebraska | 1294 |
| 5 | Pittsburgh | 1294 |
| 7 | Minnesota | 1105 |
| 8 | Penn State | 1091 |
| 9 | Oregon | 1067 |
| 10 | Kentucky | 899 |
| 11 | Florida | 841 |
| 12 | Marquette | 768 |
| 13 | San Diego | 760 |
| 14 | Ohio State | 745 |
| 15 | Baylor | 694 |
| 16 | Purdue | 644 |
| 17 | BYU | 617 |
| 18 | Creighton | 546 |
| 19 | Houston | 421 |
| 20 | Georgia Tech | 394 |
| 21 | Washington State | 359 |
| 22 | Southern California | 204 |
| 23 | Rice | 192 |
| 24 | Western Kentucky | 181 |
| 25 | Arkansas | 122 |
Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots: Kansas 99; Tennessee 84; Washington 63; Auburn 62; UCF 53; Hawai'i 49; Miami (FL) 45; Georgia 35; LSU 28; TCU 20; Illinois 18; Utah 18; Iowa State 14; Loyola Marymount 14; Pepperdine 14; Florida State 12; James Madison 5,
How the AVCA poll compares to our Power 10 preseason rankings
NCAA's Michella Chester released her preseason Power 10 rankings back on July 21. Here's how her top 10 stacks up with the coaches:
- Texas (AVCA ranking: 1)
- Wisconsin (2)
- Stanford (3)
- Louisville (4)
- Nebraska (T-5)
- Pittsburgh (T-5)
- Minnesota (7)
- Penn State (8)
- Oregon (9)
- Florida (11)
Aside for a tie for fifth, the only disparity between these top-10 rankings comes at the No. 10 slot, where Kentucky lands in the AVCA poll while Florida rounds out the Power 10. Chester herself even wrote that Kentucky and Florida were her last two choices for the final spot in her rankings. Ultimately, she chose the Gators over the Wildcats because they finished the 2022 season ranked higher at No. 14 (25-6) and are returning strong players like Alexis Stucky, Sofia Victoria, Elli McKissock and Gabby Essix, in addition to Missouri transfer Anna Dixon.
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However, Kentucky raked in 58 more votes in the AVCA poll and eight more first-place votes than Florida in July's SEC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Wildcats boast four players on the Preseason All-SEC squad, including defensive powerhouse Eleanor Beavin, 2022 SEC Player of the Year Emma Grome, and ACVA All-Americans Azhani Tealer and Reagan Rutherford. They also tacked on Oklahoma transfer Megan Wilson as a leader for the Wildcat offense.
