SAN BRUNO, Calif. – The Gonzaga volleyball team was picked to finish fifth in the West Coast Conference preseason poll released Tuesday afternoon by league officials. It marks the highest preseason conference pick for the Bulldogs since they were tabbed to finish fourth in 2015.
For the second straight year, BYU was picked to win the conference title with 81 points and a maximum nine first place votes while San Diego was picked second with 73 points and one first place vote. Both BYU and San Diego are also ranked in the 2018 AVCA Preseason Poll; the Cougars sit at No. 8 while the Toreros are ranked No. 14.
Loyola Marymount rounded out the top three with 61 points, while Pepperdine was close behind in fourth with 59 points. Gonzaga closed out the top half of the predicted finishers in fifth with 46 points.
Santa Clara was picked sixth with 42 points, followed by Saint Mary's (35), Portland (26), Pacific (16) and San Francisco (11).
The Bulldogs return 12 letter winners along with five starters and a libero from last season's squad that finished 14-16 overall with a 9-9 WCC record, good for a tie for fourth place. Gonzaga officially opens play Aug. 24 at Hawai'i as part of the Wahine Volleyball Classic, Aug. 24-26 in Manoa, Hawai'i.
The first four weeks of Gonzaga's 2018 schedule are on the road starting with the Wahine Volleyball Classic, followed by the Montana Tournament Aug. 31-Sept. 1 in Missoula, Mont., the Les Schwab West Coast Challenge Sept. 7-8 in Portland, Ore. and the Sparky Classic Sept. 14-15 in Tempe, Ariz. Gonzaga will return to the Martin Centre Sept. 20 for its home-opener against Loyola Marymount, but fans will have an opportunity for an early look at the Zags in the Blue and White Scrimmage Aug. 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the Martin Centre. The match is free and open to the public.
| 2018 WCC Volleyball Preseason Poll |
| Team (First Place Votes) |
Pts. |
| 1. BYU (9) |
81 |
| 2. San Diego (1) |
73 |
| 3. Loyola Marymount |
61 |
| 4. Pepperdine |
59 |
| 5. Gonzaga |
46 |
| 6. Santa Clara |
42 |
| 7. Saint Mary's |
35 |
| 8. Portland |
26 |
| 9. Pacific |
16 |
| 10. San Francisco |
11 |
