(Lexington, Ky.)-- The Central Missouri volleyball team was ranked No. 5 in the AVCA preseason poll released on Monday. The Jennies are up one spot, after finishing last season at No. 6, and tallied 928 points in the poll. The Jennies have appeared in every AVCA poll since it's debut in 1986, a record 358 consecutive weeks.

The Jennies will face two of the top five teams, No. 2 Tampa and No. 4 BYU-Hawaii, in the first two weeks of the season, and will play ranked opponents in four of their first eight matches.

Seven-time defending national champion Concordia-St. Paul took the top spot, with 39 first place votes and 1186  points. Tampa had 1151 points, and eight first place votes. No. 3 Minnesota-Duluth received the remaining first place vote, and had 1086 points, switching places with BYU-Hawaii from last season's final poll. BYU-Hawaii had 981 points. Two other MIAA squads were ranked. Nebraska-Kearney fell one spot to No. 9, with 783 points, and Washburn held the No. 10 spot with 718 points. Six of the top 10 teams are in the Central region.

The Jennies will open the season at the Tampa Spartans Classic Sept. 5 and 6 in Tampa, Fla.

(Courtesy of UCM Athletic Department)

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