With the start of July, we are about six months out from the start of the 2019 Men’s DI-II Volleyball season. That will be the opportunity for Long Beach State to defend their National Championship after downing UCLA in 2018. We should see plenty of those two teams along with their two leagues competing once again. With that being said, it’s time for VolleyMob’s Way-Too-Early 2018 Preseason Top 25.
Since these rankings are early and we don’t necessarily have the full picture in terms of recruiting and transfers still to come, most of this is based on experience and starters returning. As we move closer to the winter, we will update our rankings as needed. Until then, we will release five teams at a time this week, leading to the culmination of #1-5 on Thursday. Next up are teams ranked #6-10.
- #16-20 (Monday)
- #11-15 (Below)
- #6-10 (Wednesday)
- #1-5 (Thursday)
- Full List + Honorable Mentions (Friday)
6. LEWIS FLYERS
- 2018 Finish/Rank: MIVA Semifinals, #8 in final VM Top 20
- 2018 Record: 19-11 (9-5, 4th MIVA)
- Starters That Can Return for 2018: 6 + Libero
- Key Returners: OH Ryan Coenen (2018 AVCA Second-Team AA), OH/L Michael Simmons (2018 AVCA All-America HM), S Matt Yoshimoto (2018 AVCA All-America HM), RS Mitch Perinar (2018 MIVA Second-Team), MB Tyler Mitchem (2018 MIVA Second-Team), MB TJ Murray (2018 MIVA Freshman Team)
- Key Losses: None with award recognition
- Bottom Line: Lewis could very well be the favorite to win the MIVA in 2019, as they return all of their starters that include a trio with some sort of AVCA All-America recognition. That adds on to star losses for Ohio State and Loyola Chicago, especially after the Flyers took the Buckeyes down to the wire in the MIVA Semifinals.
7. PEPPERDINE WAVES
- 2018 Finish/Rank: MPSF Quarterfinals, #9 in final VM Top 20
- 2018 Record: 15-8 (8-4, 3rd MPSF)
- Starters That Can Return for 2018: 4 + Libero
- Key Returners: OH David Wieczorek (2018 AVCA Second-Team AA), MB Max Chamberlain (2018 MPSF Second-Team), S Ryan Mullahey (2018 MPSF HM), MB Michael Wexter (2018 MPSF HM)
- Key Losses: OH Alexander Harthaller (2018 AVCA All-America HM)
- Bottom Line: The Waves had a lackluster finish to 2018, but they should still be excited for 2019 with a majority of their starters back. Most importantly is the potential return of Wieczorek, who starred on the team and coincided with an early turnaround for Pepperdine.
8. OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
- 2018 Finish/Rank: Volley Four, #5 in final VM Top 20
- 2018 Record: 25-6 (11-3, T-1st MIVA)
- Starters That Can Return for 2018: 4 + Libero
- Key Returners: S Sanil Thomas (2018 AVCA All-America HM), MB Blake Leeson (2018 MIVA Second-Team), RS Jake Hanes (2018 MIVA Second-Team)
- Key Losses: OH Nicolas Szerszen (2018 AVCA First-Team AA), OH Maxime Hervoir (2018 AVCA First-Team AA)
- Bottom Line: The Buckeyes two year reign came to a close with a competitive loss in the NCAA Semifinals to Long Beach State. They already lost a good amount last year but still had Szerszen and Hervoir back. Now they bring more back than last year but lose those two, so it will be an interesting transition without one of the best players in the country leading the way.
9. UCSB GAUCHOS
- 2018 Finish/Rank: Big West Quarterfinals, #12 in final VM Top 20
- 2018 Record: 11-13 (4-6, 5th Big West)
- Starters That Can Return for 2018: 6 + Libero
- Key Returners: OH Corey Chavers (2018 Big West First-Team), MB Connor Drake (2018 Big West HM), RS Keenan Sanders (2018 Big West HM), MB Jack Truman (2018 Big West Freshman Team)
- Key Losses: None with award recognition
- Bottom Line: UCSB didn’t finish above .500 last season, but played a tough schedule and even earned some highlight victories such as against Pepperdine, BYU, Fort Wayne, Ball State, CSUN and UC Irvine. Now they’ll look for more consistency, and should find it with all starters back.
10. LOYOLA CHICAGO RAMBLERS
- 2018 Finish/Rank: MIVA Championship, #7 in final VM Top 20
- 2018 Record: 23-7 (11-3, T-1st MIVA)
- Starters That Can Return for 2018: 3 + Libero
- Key Returners: OH Collin Mahan (2018 AVCA All-America HM), S Garrett Zolg (2018 AVCA All-America HM)
- Key Losses: MB Jeff Jendryk (2018 AVCA First-Team AA), RS Ricky Gevis (2018 MIVA First-Team)
- Bottom Line: The Ramblers just missed out on the NCAA Tournament in 2018 and they’ll have the tall task of replacing Jendryk and Gevis if they want to reach it in 2019. That provides some questions, but the duo of Mahan and Zolg should be enough to keep them in the top 10 with potential to rise if they can come up with some answers.
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