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Baylor volleyball picked to finish second in Big 12

Baylor volleyball picked to finish second in Big 12
Posted at 1:53 PM, Jun 28, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-28 14:53:43-04

Baylor volleyball has been picked to finish second in the 2018 Big 12 Preseason Coaches' Poll, announced Thursday by the conference office.

For the second-straight year, the Bears received a program-high preseason finish. Last year, BU was predicted to finish third. Baylor received two first-place votes in the poll, also a program first. 

In the 23-year history of the poll, BU has been picked to finish in the top three on two occasions (2017, 2018). Before that, the Bears not been picked any higher than fifth which happened on two occasions (2009, 2012).

With seven first-place votes, Texas has been picked as the favorite for the eighth consecutive year, followed by BU with two first-place votes. Following Baylor is Iowa State and Kansas, picked to finish third and fourth.

Kansas State and TCU have been picked fifth and sixth, followed by Texas Tech, Oklahoma and West Virginia in the seventh thru ninth spots.

Originally picked to finish third in last year's preseason poll, Baylor capped off its conference season with a program-best 13-3 record which finished second and led to the team's first back-to-back NCAA Tournament bids and first-ever national seed. McGuyre looks to make an even greater leap in his fourth season in Waco: the program’s first Big 12 title.

The Bears kick off the 2018 season on Aug. 24 against LSU, hosting the Hampton Inn & Suite Waco North Baylor Invitational. Fans can catch an early glimpse of the 17-member squad at the team's annual Green and Gold Scrimmage, set for Tuesday, Aug. 21 at 5 p.m. All home matches will take place at the Ferrell Center.

2018 BIG 12 VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON COACHES' POLL 
1. Texas (7)                 63
2. Baylor (2)                 58
3. Iowa State                49
4. Kansas                     42
5. Kansas State           32
6. TCU                         26
7. Texas Tech              23
8. Oklahoma                21
9. West Virginia           10

First-place votes in parentheses. Coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team.