Kansas volleyball voted 1st in Big 12 preseason coaches poll; K-State lands in 7th

Kansas volleyball was voted first in the 2024 Big 12 preseason coaches poll, the league announced Wednesday.

It’s the first time Kansas has earned the top spot in the preseason poll. The Jayhawks earned six out of a possible 14 first-place votes (coaches cannot vote for their own teams) and edged out BYU, 173-168, in total points.

“This reflects what this group has done over the past couple seasons, and we have a lot of veteran players returning,” Kansas coach Ray Bechard said in a news release. “Like all preseason polls, we can value this a lot more when the season is over.”

The Jayhawks also had three players make the coaches’ preseason All-Big 12 team: Camryn Turner, London Davis and Ayah Elnady. Jayhawk freshman Zoey Burgess was named the Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year.

Last season, Kansas finished with 24-6 and posted a 14-4 conference record. The Jayhawks finished second in the Big 12 and made it to the NCAA Tournament’s second round before falling in five sets to Penn State.

Kansas State finished seventh in the preseason poll with 141 points. The Wildcats earned a first-place vote.

Here’s the full preseason poll:

1. Kansas (6 first-place votes)
2. BYU (4)
3. Arizona State (3)
4. TCU (1)
5. Baylor
6. Iowa State
7. Kansas State (1)
   
   
8. Houston
9. Utah
10. Colorado
11. UCF
12. Arizona
13. Cincinnati
14. West Virginia
15. Texas Tech

Shreyas Laddha

The Kansas City Star

Shreyas Laddha covers KU hoops and football for The Star. He’s a Georgia native and graduated from the University of Georgia.