NCAA Beach Volleyball

Beach Dawgs Receive Preseason No. 20 Ranking

Beach Dawgs Receive Preseason No. 20 Ranking


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SEATTLE – Washington Beach Volleyball has earned a preseason top-20 national ranking for just the second time in program history. The Beach Dawgs check in at the No. 20 spot in the initial AVCA coaches poll today, with the 2023 season opener now eleven days away.
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The Huskies were preseason No. 19 in the AVCA poll back in 2018. Last season, the Huskies were 12-20, but had upset wins over No. 11 Cal and No. 8 Hawaii. Washington returns its No. 1 duo of Chloe Loreen and Natalie Robinson. Those two made waves in the fall by reaching the semifinals of the inaugural AVCA National Pairs Championships.
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Second-year Head Coach Derek Olson also brought in a large class of newcomers to give UW its most depth in years. Teagan DeFalco from Grand Canyon, Piper Monk-Heidrich from UCLA, Shannon Gormally and Kendall Mather both from Florida International, and Mary Sinclair and Jacquelyn Strawn both from Pepperdine, along with Maia Nichols from Arizona State have given UW its most beach-only players ever.
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Returning starters include seniors Paloma Bowman, Scarlett Dahl, and Hannah Yerex, as well as Maeve Griffin, the only indoor volleyball crossover this year. One true freshman, Reagan Peterson, rounds out the squad from Charlotte, North Carolina.
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Washington will be tested right from the get-go on its first day of competition on Saturday, Feb. 25. The Huskies play twice that day, against 16th-ranked Florida International, and 2nd-ranked Florida State in Tallahassee at the Seminole Classic.
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Rank School (First-Place Votes) Points
1 UCLA (12) 442
2 Florida State (2) 420
3 TCU (1) 408
4 USC (8) 400
5 LSU 350
6 GCU 334
7 LMU 296
8 Georgia State 271
9 Stanford 247
10 Hawai’i 242
11 California 233
12 FAU 224
13 Cal Poly 222
14 Long Beach State 153
15 Stetson 137
16 FIU 117
17 Pepperdine 79
18 Arizona 78
19 South Carolina 65
20 Washington 55

Others receiving votes on multiple ballots:Β Florida Gulf Coast University (30), Arizona State University…

Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at University of Washington Athletics…