University Southern California Trojans
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USC Ranked No. 10 in AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll
August 08, 2018 | Women's Volleyball, Features
The Women of Troy were ranked No. 7 in the final 2017 poll following an appearance in the NCAA regional final
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The USC women's volleyball team received the No. 10 ranking in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Division I Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll on Wednesday, August 8. The Women of Troy received 1,019 points in the first poll of the fall and are one of seven Pac-12 schools ranked in the preseason poll.
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"It is an honor for this team to receive this ranking from the AVCA coaches," said first-year head coach Brent Crouch. "It speaks to the respect that our players have earned through their hard work and past performances. While the preseason rankings are often seen as an early indicator of where others perceive your team's abilities, we'll use it as a barometer for the strides and improvements we hope to see our program make as the season unfolds."
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USC appears in the AVCA poll for the 497th time, which ranks fifth all-time. Only Nebraska and Stanford (526 times each)—which have each appeared in every single poll—UCLA (505) and Hawai'i (500) have appeared in more polls than the Trojans. USC has appeared 314 times among the top 10 of the poll, which ranks eighth all-time. Only the aforementioned schools, Florida, Penn State, and Texas hold more top-10 rankings than the Trojans. USC is one of just 19 teams ever to hold the top ranking and has held the No. 1 spot in 47 polls, which ranks sixth all-time.
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Defending Pac-12 champion Stanford received the first-place vote on 43 of 64 ballots and is ranked No. 1 to open the season. Among other league teams ranked in the preseason Top 25, UCLA (No. 11), Colorado (No. 15), Washington (No. 17), Oregon (No. 18), and Utah (No. 19) also earned spots within the top 20. Washington State and Oregon State each appeared on multiple ballots and were listed among others receiving votes.
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USC opens 2018 as host of the Trojan Invitational (Aug. 24-25) at Galen Center. No. 5 Kentucky, No. 13 Creighton, and Northern Iowa visit for the two-day round-robin tournament. The Women of Troy will play their next three non-conference tourneys on the road, which includes a return to Gainesville, Fla.; the site of their final match in the 2017 NCAA regional final. There, USC takes on host No. 7 Florida, Louisville, and Central Florida, Aug. 31-Sept. 2, in the Bubly Invitational, at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. The Women of Troy also take on No. 8 BYU (Sept. 7) and No. 14 San Diego (Sept. 14) in other non-conference action.
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This fall is the inaugural season for first-year USC head coach Brent Crouch, who was hired to lead the program in January. The Trojans return the services of 2017 leading scorer Khalia Lanier (4.86 pps). Now a junior, Lanier was named a first-team AVCA All-American last year. USC's pin-attack will also feature sophomore Brooke Botkin, who became a top contributor to close her freshman campaign (2.07 kps). Senior libero Victoria Garrick returns after she became the program's 17th player to collect over 1,000 career digs last year. The Trojans' starting setters senior Reni Meyer-Whalley and junior Cindy Marina also return to the lineup along with junior defensive specialist Jenna Adams, who appeared in all but one match in 2017.
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Last season, the Women of Troy (25-10) received the 10th seed and appeared in the program's 27th consecutive NCAA championship tournament (35th all-time). The Trojans defeated Central Arkansas in the first round and upended No. 9-ranked San Diego in the second round to advance to the Gainesville Regional Championship hosted by No. 2-seed Florida. There, USC took down seventh-seeded Minnesota in a three-set sweep to advance to the team's sixth NCAA regional title match in eight years. The Women of Troy finished in second place in the Pac-12 (14-6) after being selected to finish sixth in the coaches' preseason poll.
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Fans can purchase season and single-match tickets at USCTrojans.com/tickets. For more information on the USC women's volleyball team and a complete schedule and results, please visit USCTrojans.com/WVB. Fans of the Women of Troy can follow @USCWomensVolley on Periscope, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram.
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"It is an honor for this team to receive this ranking from the AVCA coaches," said first-year head coach Brent Crouch. "It speaks to the respect that our players have earned through their hard work and past performances. While the preseason rankings are often seen as an early indicator of where others perceive your team's abilities, we'll use it as a barometer for the strides and improvements we hope to see our program make as the season unfolds."
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USC appears in the AVCA poll for the 497th time, which ranks fifth all-time. Only Nebraska and Stanford (526 times each)—which have each appeared in every single poll—UCLA (505) and Hawai'i (500) have appeared in more polls than the Trojans. USC has appeared 314 times among the top 10 of the poll, which ranks eighth all-time. Only the aforementioned schools, Florida, Penn State, and Texas hold more top-10 rankings than the Trojans. USC is one of just 19 teams ever to hold the top ranking and has held the No. 1 spot in 47 polls, which ranks sixth all-time.
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Defending Pac-12 champion Stanford received the first-place vote on 43 of 64 ballots and is ranked No. 1 to open the season. Among other league teams ranked in the preseason Top 25, UCLA (No. 11), Colorado (No. 15), Washington (No. 17), Oregon (No. 18), and Utah (No. 19) also earned spots within the top 20. Washington State and Oregon State each appeared on multiple ballots and were listed among others receiving votes.
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USC opens 2018 as host of the Trojan Invitational (Aug. 24-25) at Galen Center. No. 5 Kentucky, No. 13 Creighton, and Northern Iowa visit for the two-day round-robin tournament. The Women of Troy will play their next three non-conference tourneys on the road, which includes a return to Gainesville, Fla.; the site of their final match in the 2017 NCAA regional final. There, USC takes on host No. 7 Florida, Louisville, and Central Florida, Aug. 31-Sept. 2, in the Bubly Invitational, at Exactech Arena at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center. The Women of Troy also take on No. 8 BYU (Sept. 7) and No. 14 San Diego (Sept. 14) in other non-conference action.
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This fall is the inaugural season for first-year USC head coach Brent Crouch, who was hired to lead the program in January. The Trojans return the services of 2017 leading scorer Khalia Lanier (4.86 pps). Now a junior, Lanier was named a first-team AVCA All-American last year. USC's pin-attack will also feature sophomore Brooke Botkin, who became a top contributor to close her freshman campaign (2.07 kps). Senior libero Victoria Garrick returns after she became the program's 17th player to collect over 1,000 career digs last year. The Trojans' starting setters senior Reni Meyer-Whalley and junior Cindy Marina also return to the lineup along with junior defensive specialist Jenna Adams, who appeared in all but one match in 2017.
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Last season, the Women of Troy (25-10) received the 10th seed and appeared in the program's 27th consecutive NCAA championship tournament (35th all-time). The Trojans defeated Central Arkansas in the first round and upended No. 9-ranked San Diego in the second round to advance to the Gainesville Regional Championship hosted by No. 2-seed Florida. There, USC took down seventh-seeded Minnesota in a three-set sweep to advance to the team's sixth NCAA regional title match in eight years. The Women of Troy finished in second place in the Pac-12 (14-6) after being selected to finish sixth in the coaches' preseason poll.
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Fans can purchase season and single-match tickets at USCTrojans.com/tickets. For more information on the USC women's volleyball team and a complete schedule and results, please visit USCTrojans.com/WVB. Fans of the Women of Troy can follow @USCWomensVolley on Periscope, Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, and Instagram.
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