My men’s volleyball media poll ballot

For the second straight week there is a new No. 1 in the men’s volleyball national media poll.

BYU’s two victories against then-No. 1 UC Irvine was enough to move the Cougars back to No. 1 after a one-week absence from the top spot in the rankings. Despite the two losses, UC Irvine didn’t fall far the top and finished at No. 2.

Check out this week’s top 10 men’s volleyball media poll and my ballot with explanations on why ranked each team where I did.
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Top 5 men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight

Several matches tonight could be previews of Final Four matches in four months.

Three matches tonight pit top 10 ranked against each other teams, including No. 1 UC Irvine and No. 3 BYU closing out their two-match series. In addition, No. 5 Penn State renews its rivalry with No. 8 Ohio State, while No. 6 Long Beach State and No. 10 Pepperdine meet each other in conference play.

Check out the top five men’s volleyball matches from around the nation to follow tonight.
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Top 5 men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight

And just in case you didn’t get enough top 10 teams play each other Friday, there are more of these matches today.

Seven of the top 10 ranked teams will be in action Saturday. Highlighting these matches is battle between the two undefeated teams — No. 2 BYU and No. 3 UC Irvine — in the UC Santa Barbara Invitational championship match.

Check out the top five men’s volleyball matches from around the nation to follow tonight.
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Top 5 men’s volleyball matches to follow tonight

The most anticipated day to open a NCAA men’s volleyball season is officially upon us.

The biggest event this weekend is the UC Santa Barbara Invitational, which features a No. 1 versus No. 2 match-up and a NCAA championship rematch. However, there are also several other non-conference and conference matches of interest today.

Check out the top five men’s volleyball matches from around the nation to follow tonight.
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In a sentence or two about every NCAA men’s volleyball team

Most of the time all the preseason talk surrounding a team can be summed up in one or two sentences — and that’s what we did.

With the NCAA men’s volleyball season beginning in earnest this weekend, get a quick breakdown of every men’s volleyball team from around the nation as they enter the 2012 season.

Check out what to know about each Division I-II men’s volleyball team at the start of the 2012 season.
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Players to watch for the 2012 AVCA Player of Year award

The field is wide open this year for the biggest individual award in college men’s volleyball.

With the NCAA men’s volleyball season starting this week, there are numerous candidates who could be the 2012 AVCA Player of the Year this season.

Check out the preseason favorites and the dark horse candidates who could win the Division I-II AVCA Player of the Year at the end of the regular season.
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Projected preseason top 10 national rankings: No. 8 Ohio State

Ohio State is projected by Off the Block to be No. 8 in the preseason national rankings.

Off the Block throughout December will reveal its projected men’s volleyball preseason top 10 national rankings and will profile a top-10 team each day. The Off the Block projected preseason rankings were created independently of the AVCA Coaches Poll and the Volleyball Magazine Top 10 Media Poll.

The college men’s volleyball season begins on Jan. 3 and concludes with the Final Four in May.
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Thanksgiving 2011: 11 things to be thankful about in college volleyball

It is the week of giving thanks and college men’s volleyball followers and fans can be thankful about plenty of things in the sport.

Whether it is a playoff format to determine a champion or the individuals returning for the upcoming season, there are many good things happening in the sport right now. It’s now time to give thanks to some of those things in college men’s volleyball.

Here’s the list of the 11 things in college men’s volleyball to be thankful about for Thanksgiving 2011.
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