KEARNEY – The Nebraska Kearney volleyball team is ranked 16th in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVA)/Taraflex Division II preseason coaches’ poll.
The poll is voted upon by a panel of head coaches from around the country. The next poll will be released on Sept. 4.
UNK, which finished the 2022 season ranked 15th in this poll, garnered 463 points this time around to come in ahead of MIAA rival Washburn (374). The Central Region has eight of the nation’s top 17 teams with Concordia-St. Paul (1,096; five first place), Wayne State (912), St. Cloud State (800), Minnesota-Duluth (780), Southwest Minnesota State (593), and Northwest Missouri State (536) ahead of the Lopers. Four Central teams – Harding (Ark.), Central Oklahoma, Central Missouri and Oklahoma Baptist – are among those receiving votes.
Since becoming a D2 member in the fall of 1990, this marks the 377th week UNK has been ranked. The only other current D2 schools with more ranked weeks are UCM (462 weeks), Tampa (430) and UMD (385).
The Lopers host No. 3 Metro State (Aug. 25 and Aug. 26) and South Dakota Mines (Aug. 26) in scrimmages this weekend at the Health & Sports Center. The first match against MSU will be at 6 p.m. on Friday with Saturday’s action being at 10:30 a.m. (Mines) and noon (Metro).
