PROVO, Utah – The BYU men’s volleyball team collected 134 points and two of the 13 possible first-place votes to take the No. 2 spot in the 2013 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
UC Irvine finished in the top spot with 143 points and 11 first-place votes. The nine-point separation (143-134) between UCI and BYU ties for the second largest gap between the top-two teams in the history of the poll, while the first-place vote difference of nine (11-2) is the largest ever.
The Cougars are coming off a 24-win season last year and a second-place tie in the MPSF. BYU returns all-conference honorees Russ Lavaja, Josue Rivera and Taylor Sander. The team consists of eight talented newcomers to compliment a core of 12 returning players.
BYU's 2013 season begins Jan. 4 when the Cougars welcome Hawaii to the Smith Fieldhouse.
| Rank | Team | Points (First-Place Votes) | 2011 Record | 2012 MPSF Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UC Irvine | 143 (11) | 26-5 Overall; 17-5 MPSF | #4 (MPSF/NCAA Champion) |
| 2 | BYU | 134 (2) | 24-7 Overall; 17-5 MPSF | #2T (MPSF Semifinal) |
| 3 | Pepperdine | 113 | 14-14 Overall; 9-13 MPSF | #7 (MPSF Quarterfinal) |
| 4 | Stanford | 110 | 22-5 Overall; 17-5 MPSF | #2T (MPSF Final) |
| 5 | UCLA | 94 | 22-8 Overall; 16-6 MPSF | #5 (MPSF Quarterfinal) |
| 6 | Long Beach State | 85 | 15-15 Overall; 10-12 MPSF | #6 (MPSF Quarterfinal) |
| 7 | USC | 83 | 24-6 Overall; 18-4 MPSF | #1 (MPSF/NCAA Finals) |
| 8 | CS Northridge | 61 | 12-18 Overall; 8-14 MPSF | #8 (MPSF Quarterfinal) |
| 9 | UC Santa Barbara | 55 | 7-19 Overall; 5-17 MPSF | #10T |
| 10 | Cal Baptist | 49 | 12-16 Overall;1st Year MPSF | N/A |
| 11 | Pacific | 35 | 8-20 Overall; 5-17 MPSF | #10T |
| 12 | Hawaii | 30 | 7-20 Overall; 4-18 MPSF | #12 |
| 13 | UC San Diego | 22 | 9-19 Overall; 6-16 MPSF | #9 |