Granted, these are still preseason rankings and there are SO many factors come season that we have yet to find out. New coaches, new teams that we have yet seen mesh together. Not to mention — freshmen. You never know who the next Mimi Colyer of 2022 will be. With that being said, these are my preseason Power 10 DI women’s volleyball rankings — based on last season’s performance, returning players, transfers, etc.
1. Texas
At preseason No. 1, I have the reigning national champions — Texas. Yes, even with the loss of 2022 AVCA Player of the Year, Logan Eggleston. This should not undermine the impact that Eggleston had on that program. She did indeed lead that team to the national championship last season. Putting them at preseason No. 1 doesn’t guarantee anything, of course. But, this team still has a TON of talent returning, AND picked up some out of the transfer portal to attempt to fill the holes they lost. Asjia O’Neal returns as arguably one of the strongest middle blockers in the nation. Madi Skinner returns to lead the offense and looks for her THIRD national title. Molly Phillips is back and continues to be strong asset to the team, and Bella Bergmark showed in the 2022 tournament that she is the real deal last season. I think we can expect to see a lot more from her this season. Then on top of that, the Longhorns brought in Jenna Wenaas out of the transfer portal from Minnesota. Wenaas was one of the main offensive players for the Gophers last season, averaging 2.40 kills per set. I think we can expect an immediate impact from her for the Longhorns.
2. Wisconsin
The Badgers have a strong roster entering the 2023 season. They return almost the entirety of their team, with the exception of Danielle Hart and Jade Demps. Anna Smrek, Devyn Robinson, Izzy Ashburn, Caroline Crawford, Sarah Franklin, Gulce Guctekin and Julia Orzol return. Franklin is TBD for the season, though, as she underwent surgery this summer associated with blood clots. Here is the announcement from the team:
— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) June 6, 2023
Either way, I still feel confident putting Wisconsin at No. 2, and here’s why. They added hard-hitting Temi-Thomas Ailara from Northwestern to the roster. Ailara led the entire Big Ten with 502 kills last season for the Wildcats,…
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