HONOLULU – For the second time in three years, the University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team will open the season ranked No. 1 in the AVCA Preseason Coaches Poll. 
 
The defending national champion Rainbow Warriors received 12 of the 19 first place votes and 263 points. Rounding out the top 5 was UCLA (250), Pepperdine (244), Long Beach State (233), and Penn State (190).
 
In addition to UH and LBSU, three other Big West Conference teams were ranked in the Top 15 – UC San Diego (10^th), UC Santa Barbara (11^th), and UC Irvine (12^th).
 
Last season, Hawai'i was ranked No. 2 in the preseason poll and ended the year in the top spot after defeating top-ranked BYU in the NCAA finals for its first-ever NCAA Tournament title. The year prior, UH earned its first No. 1 preseason ranking and ended the year at No. 2 before the season was cut short due to the pandemic. 
 
The Warriors will play a 27-match regular season in 2022 including 16 home matches beginning Jan. 5 and 7 against preseason No. 7 Loyola-Chicago. UH will unveil its national championship banner in the season-opener on Wednesday, Jan. 5.