IRVINE, Calif. – The two-time defending national champion and defending Big West champion University of Hawai'i men's volleyball team was picked first in the preseason Big West coaches' poll. In addition, three Rainbow Warriors were named to the seven-member preseason all-conference team – setter Jakob Thelle, outside hitter Spyros Chakas, and opposite Dimitrios Mouchlias.
 
UH received five of the six first place votes and 25 total points to claim the top spot. Last year's runner-up Long Beach State was second followed by UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, CSUN, and UC San Diego.
 
Hawai'i returns all seven starters from last season's team which finished with a 27-5 overall record claimed its second straight national title. UH concluded the regular season in second place in the Big West standings but captured its second Big West Tournament title with a straight-set win over the Beach in Honolulu. The win propelled the Warriors into the NCAA Tournament where they defeated LBSU again in the title match.
 
Also named to the preseason coaches' team were LBSU's Mason Briggs, UCI's Hilir Henno and Francesco Sani, and UCSB's Ryan Wilcox.
 
2023 Big West Preseason Coaches' Poll
Rk. Team – Points (1^st Place Votes)
1. Hawai'i – 25 (5)
2. Long Beach State – 19
3. UC Irvine – 17 (1)
4. UC Santa Barbara – 13
5. CSUN – 10
6. UC San Diego – 6
 
2023 Big West Preseason Coaches' Team
Mason Briggs – Jr., LIB, Long Beach State, Valencia, Calif.
Spyros Chakas – Jr., OH, Hawai'i, Nea Smyrni, Greece
Hilir Henno – So., OH, UC Irvine, Pornichet, France
Dimitrios Mouchlias – Jr., OPP, Hawai'i, Soufli, Greece
Francesco Sani – Jr., OH, UC Irvine, Bethesda, Md.
Jakob Thelle – Sr., S, Hawai'i, Tonsberg, Norway
Ryan Wilcox – Sr., OH, UC Santa Barbara, Honolulu, O'ahu