University of Tennessee Athletics
Lady Vols Ranked 24th in Preseason Poll
August 15, 2011 | Volleyball
Aug. 15, 2011
A pair of preseason volleyball polls were released Monday, and the Tennessee Lady Volunteers had good news to report from both lists.
The Lady Vols were tied with Michigan for 24th nationally in the preseason AVCA Coaches Top 25 Poll, and they were also selected to finish second in the Eastern Division in the SEC Coaches Preseason Poll behind Florida.
Coming off a 25-7 season in 2010, Tennessee received two first-place votes to win the SEC regular-season championship, while Florida picked up nine votes to win the championship.
"It's nice to get recognition for our team from coaches from our conference, but it doesn't mean anything until we serve it up," said Rob Patrick, who is now entering his 15th season as head coach. "There are a lot of very good teams in the conference. With several new coaches coming in, teams are going to be improving this season. There's not going to be an easy match."
When it comes to the national rankings, the Lady Vols have been on the national stage for quite some time. The team has now spent 19 consecutive polling periods ranked in the top 25, a streak that dates back to 2009.
Penn State, which has won the last four NCAA Championships, is ranked first, followed by Southern California and California. Florida is the highest-ranked SEC school at No. 9.
The Lady Vols begin their season Aug. 26 with the Comcast Lady Vol Classic at Thompson-Boling Arena when they face Ohio at 5 p.m. Eastern.
Coaching Clinic: Patrick, a two-time national coach of the year, will host a free clinic Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena from 12:30 p.m. until 4 p.m. for scholastic and club coaches. Patrick and his staff will spend time both on the court and in the classroom with question and answer sessions. Drills will be focused for middle school and high school players.
AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Poll
Preseason Poll
Aug. 15
1. Penn State
2. Southern California
3. California
4. Texas
5. Nebraska
6. Stanford
7. Washington
8. Illinois
9. Florida
10. Hawaii
11. UCLA
12. Minnesota
13. Purdue
14. Northern Iowa
15. Colorado State
16. Oklahoma
17. Duke
18. Iowa State
19. Dayton
20. San Diego
21. Ohio State
22. Long Beach State
23. Tulsa
24t. Tennessee
24t. Michigan
SEC Preseason Volleyball Coaches Poll
Eastern Division
Team, Points
1. Florida, 12
2. Tennessee, 19
3. Kentucky, 26
4. Georgia, 39
5. South Carolina, 44
Western Division
Team, Points
1. LSU, 10
2. Mississippi, 22
3. Arkansas, 31
4. Auburn, 34
5. Alabama, 48
6. Mississippi State, 50
Overall Regular-Season Champion: Florida (9 votes), Tennessee (2 votes).
