It’s a newly formed conference for the 2018 season but that does not leave it out of voting Long Beach State as the preseason favorite in the league.
LBSU received four first-place votes along with 34 overall, following the 49ers is Hawaii with two first-place votes and 32 overall votes. Last season, LBSU and Hawaii were bested in the semifinals of the NCAA Men’s Tournament, both in straight sets after having strong seasons.
The 49rs are bringing back a strong presence on the court in reigning AVCA Division I-II Player of the Year, TJ DeFalco. The two-time AVCA First-Team All-American posted double-digit kills in 29 of 31 matches in the 2017 season. Also coming back are setter Josh Tuaniga, the 2017 national leader in assists per set at 11.06 and AVCA First-Team All-American and Kyle Ensing who averaged 3.37 kills per set.
Hawaii brings back Stijn van Tilburg who posted a #3 NCAA high 4.25 kills per set on the 2017 season along with senior libero Larry Tuileta.
Also joining the Big West Conference in the 2018 season are CSUN and UC Irvine that have both been voted into the #3 position, UC Santa Barbara at #5 and UC San Diego with the #6 spot.
Big West Coaches Preseason Poll Results
1 Long Beach State (4) – 34 points
2 Hawaii (2) – 32 points
3 CSUN – 21 points
UC Irvine – 21 points
5 UC Santa Barbara – 10 points
6 UC San Diego – 8 points
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