Long Beach State University Athletics
Volleyball Opens Season In Top 25
8/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Volleyball
Aug. 20, 2008
Long Beach, Calif. - Long Beach State continues to attract the attention of the nation, beginning the season ranked No. 24 in the preseason AVCA Coaches Poll. Selected by coaches across the nation, the 49ers stay near the No. 23 spot that the team ended at in the final poll of last season.
The 49ers rebounded to regain entry into the top 25 at the end of the 2007 season, defeating No. 8 Florida in a thrilling five-set match and stopping a tough UNLV team in the opening round of the NCAA tournament before falling in five to No. 5 USC.
That squad featured three All-Big West selections who were graduating seniors, including All-American Alexis Crimes, but the reputation of the program and the talent of the incoming recruiting class and returning members has allowed the team to remain in the top 25.
Penn State, the defending national champions, return all six starters and received 59 of a possible 60 first-place votes to dominate the top half of the poll, while Stanford was second. Cal Poly, the only other Big West school mentioned in the poll, was ranked tenth in this first ranking.
