LEXINGTON, Ky. – WKU Volleyball has earned the highest AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll ranking in program history, coming in at No. 16 in Monday's rankings. The Hilltoppers have now ranked in the top 25 in 10 of the last 11 seasons and received votes for 12 consecutive campaigns.
WKU will open a season ranked for just the fourth time in program history during the 2021 fall campaign, also marking the first time the team will do so in back-to-back campaigns. The Hilltoppers came in at No. 25 to begin the 2020-21 spring season. In 2013, WKU was ranked in the AVCA Preseason poll for the first time, coming in at No. 21 before owning the 22nd slot prior to the 2016 season.
The Hilltoppers return all 14 players from its spring squad that made a historic run to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in Omaha, Nebraska. This season, the team has welcomed four newcomers and will feature its largest squad ever at 18 student-athletes.
Last season, WKU owned a 23-1 overall record after earning the Conference USA East Division title and C-USA Tournament Championship before suffering its only loss to eventual national champions, Kentucky. The Hilltoppers opened play in the NCAA Bubble with a 3-0 sweep of Jackson State before upsetting No. 15 seed Washington State the next evening to earn the program's first-ever Sweet 16 appearance.
Conference USA saw two squads ranked in the poll as Rice came in at No. 23 in the preseason rankings.
WKU will host the defending national champions on Thursday, for a free exhibition open to the public. First serve of the friendly training session will go up at 5 p.m. CT. The event will not strictly follow a traditional match format.
The Hilltoppers open the 2021 campaign on Friday, August 27 at the Notre Dame-hosted Golden Dome Invitational with a 10 a.m. CT tilt against Oakland. After playing three matches up in South Bend, WKU will host its home opener on Tuesday, August 31 against Belmont.
Flexible season ticket packages are on sale now and include 13 vouchers that fans can use at any regular-season home match in whatever fashion they choose. Fans can opt for the traditional use of one ticket for all 13 home matches or bring a group to a few matches. Flexible ticket packages are available for $50 at WKUTickets.com, by calling 1-800-5-BIGRED or by coming to the WKU Ticket Office during regular business hours.
How to Follow WKU Volleyball: For complete information on WKU Volleyball, follow the team on Twitter at @WKUVolleyball and head coach Travis Hudson at @TravisHudsonWKU. The team is also on Instagram and Facebook.
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