STANFORD, Calif. – The Stanford men's volleyball team opens the 2019 season ranked 13th in the AVCA preseason poll, the organization announced today. It marks the 12th straight season the Cardinal has been ranked in the preseason poll.
Stanford returns 15 players from the 2018 roster, including AVCA All-America honorable mention selection and All-MPSF first-team performer Jaylen Jasper and All-MPSF honorable mention pick Kyler Presho. Fifth-year senior libero Kyle Dagostino also returns after redshirting last season. Head coach John Kosty is in his 13th season at the helm of the program and 29th overall on staff.
Dagostino represented the U.S. in its seventh-place finish at the Pan American Cup in Mexico over the summer. Jasper and Presho were joined by sophomore JP Reilly on the U.S. Junior National Team, which took fourth at the NORCECA U21 Continental Championship in Cuba. Libero Justin Lui, Stanford's lone incoming freshman from Pickering, Ontario, played for Canada at the U21 Continental Championship.
Stanford is joined in the preseason poll by fellow MPSF members UCLA (No. 2), BYU (No. 5), Pepperdine (No. 6), Concordia Irvine (No. 12) and Grand Canyon (No. 14). Defending champion Long Beach State is the preseason favorite, collecting 16 first-place votes.
Stanford opens the season on Friday, Jan. 4 against Menlo College and will also face UC Santa Cruz on Saturday, Jan. 5. Both matches are scheduled for 7 p.m. Admission to all regular season home matches is free.