FAIRFAX, Va. – George Mason University's men's volleyball team will begin the 2017 season as the tenth-ranked team in the AVCA Division I-II Men's Preseason Poll.
The rank is one higher than the one under which the Patriots closed the 2016 season, which saw them win the Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association title and return to the National Collegiate Men's Volleyball Championship for the first time since 1988.
"We have a lot more depth this year," said senior opposite hitter
Jack Wilson, one of the team's three captains. "That contributes to the intensity and quality of our practices, so it is good to know that the coaches around the country are noticing that we are getting better."
Senior outside hitter
Christian Malias, one of the other two captains, admits that "It is nice to go into the season with some respect" but remains cautious of such early rankings.
"Preseason rankings can be sometimes misleading because the season is so long," Malias said. "What's more important to us is the ranking at the end of the year and all the things that we have to do here in the gym from this point on to be where we want to be in May."
Six of Mason's regular season opponents made the preseason top 15 with a mouthwatering clash against No. 1 Ohio State scheduled as early as the second week of the season, Jan. 10. It was namely the Buckeyes who put an end to Mason's season in the play-in phase of the NCAA tournament. They then went on to win the national title and are heavy favorites among the nation's coaches to repeat the feat, earning 23 of the 24 first-place votes in the preseason poll.
"Our match against Ohio State is always a good one," Mason's head coach
Jay Hosack said. "We don't care if they are ranked No. 1 or No. 25, it is a chance for us to showcase our talent and hard work."
After the trip to Columbus, Mason will later welcome No. 11 Loyola-Chicago (Jan. 21), visit No. 15 Ball State (Jan. 26), face No. 13 Penn State twice as part of its EIVA schedule, and square off with No. 4 Long Beach State and No. 14 California State Northridge at the Active Ankle Classic in March.
"[This ranking] merely shows the level of confidence that our team can carry into practices which, if done right, can lead into matches, but it doesn't guarantee wins," said Hosack, who will begin his second season at Mason after the holidays.
Mountain Pacific Sports Federation member UCLA earned the last first-place vote and placed behind Ohio State in the poll. The Bruins, who reached the semi-finals in May, are followed by the other two semi-finalists – BYU and LBSU, respectively – while yet another MPSF member, Pepperdine, rounds off the top five.
2017 AVCA Division I-II Men's Preseason Poll:
| Rank |
School (First-Place Votes) |
Total Points Adjusted |
2016 Record |
2016 Final Rank |
| 1 |
Ohio State (23) |
359 |
31-3 |
1 |
| 2 |
UCLA (1) |
325 |
25-7 |
3 |
| 3 |
BYU |
320 |
27-4 |
2 |
| 4 |
Long Beach State |
291 |
25-8 |
4 |
| 5 |
Pepperdine |
221 |
13-11 |
7 |
| 6 |
Lewis |
211 |
19-13 |
9 |
| 7 |
Hawai'i |
204 |
16-12 |
8 |
| 8 |
UC Irvine |
159 |
10-20 |
NR |
| 9 |
Stanford |
150 |
19-6 |
6 |
| 10 |
George Mason |
138 |
18-12 |
11 |
| 11 |
Loyola-Chicago |
125 |
20-8 |
10 |
| 12 |
UC Santa Barbara |
120 |
20-10 |
5 |
| 13 |
Penn State |
95 |
19-10 |
12 |
| 14 |
California State Northridge |
61 |
14-15 |
14 |
| 15 |
Ball State |
47 |
20-9 |
13 |
Other receiving votes and listed on three or more ballots: Saint Francis (Pa.) – 35; Cal Baptist – 10; USC – 6
