Cal State San Bernardino will enter the 2010 season ranked No. 2 in NCAA Division II, according to a pre-season poll released Wednesday by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. 
    The Coyotes, coming off a 33-2 season, two straight West Region titles, four straight California Collegiate Athletic Association titles and two appearances in the NCAA Final Four in the last two years, are ranked behind No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul. 
    CSUSB is one of four CCAA teams ranked in the pre-season top 25. UC San Diego is No. 8 followed by Cal State L.A. at No. 14 and Sonoma State at No. 21. 
    “I don't know how I feel to be honest,” said Coyotes Head Coach Kim Cherniss of the early ranking. “But polls at the beginning of the season are a measure of the success we've had as a program. “People are showing us a high degree of respect.” 
    This is the 11th straight year that the Coyotes have been ranked among the top 25 in the nation and no lower than 14th during that span. The team has been ranked in the top five in the final season poll four times. 
    The Coyotes got two first place votes and 760 points in the poll of AVCA coaches while Concordia St. Paul – with three straight NCAA Div. II titles under their belt and an NCAA record unbeaten streak of 74 straight matches dating back to its last loss – to the Coyotes in the first match of a tournament at CSUSB in August of 2008 – got 29 first-place votes. 
    Cal State San Bernardino lost to Concordia, 3-2, in the NCAA title match on the Golden Bears home court in 2008 and then lost 3-1 to CSP in the semifinals last March, also on Concordia's home court. 
    This year's NCAA tournament will be played on a neutral court at Bellarmine College in Kentucky, part of the NCAA's quadrennial “Fall Festival”. 
    Concordia St. Paul and CSUSB finished the 2009 season ranked 1-2 in the final AVCA poll as well.
Earlier this week, the Coyotes were picked by coaches in the CCAA to win a fifth straight championship in their annual pre-season poll. Concordia was picked to win its conference for the seventh straight year.

AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll
2010 Preseason Poll: August 18, 2010
Rank School (First-Place Votes) Total Points
2009 Record -- 2009 Final Rank
1 Concordia-St. Paul (29) 788 37-0 1
2 Cal State San Bernardino (2) 760 33-2 2
3 Tampa (1) 729 31-3 4
4 Indianapolis 692 38-2 6
5 Central Missouri 676 34-5 5
6 Washburn 603 33-5 8
7 West Texas A&M 561 38-4 3
8 UC San Diego 544 27-3 7
9 Minnesota Duluth 495 23-9 14
10 Metro State 478 26-8 11
11 Saint Leo 465 30-4 10
12 Emporia State 451 29-6 13
13 Nebraska-Kearney 420 33-3 12
14 Cal State L.A. 387 23-9 15
15 Southwest Minnesota State 373 25-8 16
16 Lewis 328 32-5 9
17 Wayne State (Neb.) 265 29-8 18
18 Minnesota State 240 26-7 17
19 Pittsburg State 216 25-11 19
20 Hillsdale 171 24-8 NR
21 Sonoma State 144 23-8 21
22 Flagler 115 36-9 22
23 Hawai'i-Hilo 98 25-2 20
24 Alaska-Anchorage 84 23-8 24
25 Truman 71 24-13 25
Others Receiving Votes and listed on two or more ballots: California (Pa.) 47; Grand Valley State 34;
West Florida 32; Western Washington 22; Abilene Christian 21; Dowling 14; Wingate 13; Barry 7
Nine teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 45 combined points.
Next Poll: September 6, 2010