The Springfield College men’s volleyball team has been selected as the #1 ranked team for the second season in a row, according to the 2017 AVCA Division III Men’s Preseason Top 15 Coaches Poll.
The Pride picked up a total of 12 first place votes. Springfield returns five starters from last seasons team, where the team went 28-4 and played in their seventh-consecutive national championship match. Springfield will open up their season by taking on Hope International on January 13.
Picking up the second place rank is SUNY New Paltz with five first place votes. The defending national championships faced Springfield in the 2016 national championship match, defeating them 3-1. The Hawks begin their season with a four game road stint in California.
This season, the top-two squads will play each other two times, first on March 1 and on April 5.
The next top-15 ranking will be released on January 24, after the first few weeks of the season.
| Rank | School (First-Place Votes) | Total Points Adjusted | 2016 Record | 2016 Final Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Springfield (12) | 248 | 28-4 | 2 |
| 2 | SUNY New Paltz (5) | 229 | 33-2 | 1 |
| 3 | Stevens | 219 | 29-7 | 3 |
| 4 | Carthage | 203 | 27-2 | 5 |
| 5 | Stevenson | 175 | 26-8 | 4 |
| 6 | UC Santa Cruz | 148 | 19-7 | 7 |
| 7 | Nazareth | 139 | 25-9 | 9 |
| 8 | Vassar | 132 | 24-7 | 8 |
| 9 | Wentworth | 114 | 23-9 | 11 |
| 10 | Kean | 104 | 31-7 | 10 |
| 11 | Rutgers-Newark | 86 | 24-4 | 6 |
| 12 | MSOE | 70 | 18-8 | 14 |
| 13 | Dominican | 55 | 17-9 | NR |
| 14 | NYU | 46 | 14-14 | 13 |
| T-15 | Juniata | 18 | 10-16 | NR |
| T-15 | Rivier | 18 | 22-11 | NR |
Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots: Elmira 12; Endicott 9; Mount St. Joseph 8; Marymount 3; MIT 3
Two teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of five combined points.
Next Poll: January 24
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