LEXINGTON, Ky.— The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) released its first Division III Men's Coaches top-15 poll and the Cal Lutheran Kingsmen checked in at No. 8. The preseason poll was released Thursday afternoon.
The No. 8 ranking is the highest the Kingsmen have been since the program was reestablished four years ago. CLU ended 2018 at No. 12.
Cal Lutheran will be tested early and often as the Kingsmen face eight of the teams on the list, including four of the top-5. The top teams the Violet and Gold will face are No. 1 Springfield (March 28), No. 2 Stevens (March 29), No. 3 Carthage (Feb. 1) and No. 5 SUNY New Paltz (Jan. 12 & 18).
The NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship consists of only 12 teams with 10 getting bids due to automatic qualifiers for winning their conference tournament. The Kingsmen are playing the top teams in the country in hopes of getting an at-large berth to the tournament. The championship is April 26-28 and hosted by Kean University in Union, N.J.
AVCA Release: Division III Men's Preseason Coaches Top-15 Poll
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Release by Ryan Jorgenson, Sports Information Director