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There is no drop in preseason expectations for the two-time defending NCAA champions.
UCLA received all but one first-place vote to finish atop the MPSF Preseason Coaches Poll that was released Monday.
The Bruins return three All-Americans after becoming the first MPSF team in more than a decade to win back-to-back national championships. The team in the offseason added All-American middle attacker Cameron Thorne, who transferred from Grand Canyon.
Along with the transfer addition, UCLA underwent a coaching change in the offseason. Former Loyola head coach and UCLA assistant coach John Hawks was named the team’s new head coach after John Speraw departed the school in the fall to become the president of USA Volleyball.
UCLA crosstown rival USC finished the preseason poll in second place with 51 points – 13 fewer points than the Bruins.
BYU was the only other school to earn a first-place vote and ended the poll in third place with 48 points.
Pepperdine and the defending MPSF champions Grand Canyon round out the top five of the preseason poll.
The MPSF for the upcoming season has expanded from seven to nine teams. The two newest conference additions – Vanguard and Menlo – round out the bottom of the poll.
The MPSF regular season will begin in February and conclude in April with the MPSF Tournament at Pepperdine. The winner of the conference tournament will receive an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament.
2025 MPSF Preseason Coaches Poll
1. UCLA – 64 (8) points
2. USC – 51 points
3. BYU – 48 (1) points
4. Pepperdine – 45 points
5. Grand Canyon – 39 points
6. Stanford – 31 points
7. Concordia – 21 points
8. Vanguard – 16 points
9. Menlo – 9 points