Coaches Pick USC in MPSF Men's Volleyball Preseason Poll
Dec. 9, 2009
2010 MPSF Preseason Poll 
Defending conference champion USC picked up 112 points and five first-place votes in topping the 2010 MPSF Men's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Trojans tied for fifth in the regular season last year, though won their first-ever conference tournament championship and finished second at the NCAA Tournament. But for the libero and a pair of reserves, the Trojans return their entire roster, including All-American hitters Murphy Troy and Tony Ciarelli and NCAA All-Tournament selections Austin Zahn and Riley McKibbin. Defending national champion UC Irvine placed second in the poll, just two points out of first, also owning five first-place votes. The Anteaters return three All-Americans in Carson Clark, Kevin Wynne, and Jordan DuFault. Clark was named the '09 MPSF Freshman of the Year. Stanford came in third with 97 points. The Cardinal returns all but one starter, including First-Team All-Americans Kawika and Erik Shoji. BYU returns all of its starters, including All-MPSF Honorees Andrew Stewart and Futi Tavana, checking in with 88 points and one first-place vote. Pepperdine placed fifth by collecting 82 points, coming off a second-place finish last year, while UCLA completed the top half of the poll with 74 points and one top vote. Long Beach State and CS Northridge are projected to reach the MPSF Playoffs, taking seventh and eighth, respectively. Hawaii, UC Santa Barbara, UC San Diego, and Pacific rounded out the picks for the upcoming year. The top eight finishers after 22 regular season conference matches advance to the MPSF Championship Tournament. Several tournaments will be held from January 7-9 to begin the season, while the first night of MPSF action takes place on Wednesday, January 13.