LEXINGTON, Ky. – The defending national champion Nebraska Cornhuskers grabbed 20 of 65 first-place votes in the American Volleyball Coaches Association preseason poll, and were second in the initial rankings.
Stanford collected the other 45 first-place votes in the poll and were atop the ranking.
The Huskers finished 2017 with a 32-4 record on the way to the title.
Creighton (26-7) made the preseason list as well, coming in at No. 13
Complete poll below:
| Rank | School (First-Place Votes) | Total Points Adjusted | 2017 Record | 2017 Final Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford (43) | 1575 | 30-4 | 4 |
| 2 | Nebraska (20) | 1525 | 32-4 | 1 |
| 3 | Texas | 1389 | 27-3 | 5 |
| 4 | Minnesota | 1342 | 28-6 | 10 |
| 5 | Kentucky | 1260 | 29-4 | 6 |
| 6 | Penn State | 1227 | 33-2 | 3 |
| 7 | Florida (1) | 1208 | 30-2 | 2 |
| 8 | BYU | 1183 | 30-3 | 7 |
| 9 | Wisconsin | 1146 | 22-10 | 12 |
| 10 | Southern California | 1019 | 25-10 | 7 |
| 11 | UCLA | 850 | 21-11 | 14 |
| 12 | Illinois | 782 | 23-11 | 17 |
| 13 | Creighton | 651 | 26-7 | 16 |
| 14 | San Diego | 632 | 25-5 | 13 |
| 15 | Colorado | 609 | 24-10 | 19 |
| 16 | Baylor | 597 | 24-7 | 21 |
| 17 | Washington | 503 | 25-8 | 15 |
| 18 | Oregon | 443 | 18-12 | RV |
| 19 | Utah | 424 | 24-10 | 13 |
| 20 | Pittsburgh | 352 | 26-7 | RV |
| 21 | Iowa State | 284 | 22-7 | 25 |
| 22 | Michigan State | 250 | 24-9 | 8 |
| 23 | Purdue | 225 | 23-10 | 18 |
| 24 | Cal Poly | 209 | 27-3 | 22 |
| 25 | Colorado State | 174 | 29-4 | 24 |
Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots: Marquette 163; Michigan 153; Missouri 148; Wichita State 103; Louisville 88; Kansas 66; Western Kentucky 58; Washington State 47; Hawai’i 27; Florida State 17; LSU 13; Miami (FL) 8; Oregon State 6; Missouri State 4
11 teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 39 combined points.