STANFORD, Calif. – The Stanford men's volleyball team has been chosen by the conference coaches to finish third in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation this season, the league announced today.
BYU, which received five first-place votes and totaled 35 points overall, was picked to win the MPSF. UCLA (31) earned the other two first-place votes to come in second.
Pepperdine earned 19 points to come in fourth, while USC and Grand Canyon tied for fifth with 14 points. Concordia (7) rounded out the poll.
Each MPSF team will play 12 conference matches this season, featuring a home and away against each opponent. The 2020 MPSF Tournament begins with seeds two, three and four hosting quarterfinal matches on April 18. The conference semifinals will be played on April 23 at the No. 1 seed. Semifinal winners will meet on April 25 for the championship with an automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament on the line.
Stanford returns nine players from the 2019 roster, including AVCA All-America honorable mention selections Paul Bischoff and Jaylen Jasper. Junior Kyler Presho was a second team All-MPSF pick a year ago. Head coach John Kosty is in his 14th season at the helm of the program and 30th overall on staff.
Stanford opens the season on Friday, Jan. 3 against Menlo College in Burnham Pavilion and will also face UC Santa Cruz on Saturday, Jan. 4 in Maples Pavilion. Admission to all regular season home matches is free.
MPSF Coaches' Poll
| Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | BYU | 35 (5) |
| 2. | UCLA | 31 (2) |
| 3. | Stanford | 27 |
| 4. | Pepperdine | 19 |
| 5. | Grand Canyon | 14 |
| USC | 14 | |
| 7. | Concordia | 7 |