After finishing with a final ranking of fourth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association poll following its first ever trip to the NCAA Final Four a season ago, the KU volleyball team opens the season ranked No. 5 in the AVCA preseason coaches poll.
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Russ Rose and his Lady Lion Volleyball team will have something prove this season after what many are calling a down year in 2015.
The top three teams in the poll are the same as the top three in last year’s final poll and the top 10 in the preseason poll all were ranked in the top 10 at the end of last season.
Defending national champions Nebraska are back at the top to start the new season, led by first team All-American Kadie Rolfzen.
CSU was ranked 12th to open the 2015 campaign and reached as high as No. 9 after the opening week of the season.
Concordia-St. Paul was selected as the NSIC volleyball preseason favorite for a 13th straight season, tallying 219 points and 13 first-place votes.
Michigan State and Michigan are among the 14 teams also receiving votes.
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The Rainbow Wahine open the season on August 26 when hosting the fourth-ranked Badgers. The seven-time defending Mountain West champions will open the 2016 regular season with matches at home against North Dakota State on August 26 at 6 p.m. MT and against St. Mary’s on August 27 at 7 p.m.
