KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Marian volleyball team was ranked 21st overall entering the 2023 season, as revealed Wednesday morning in the NAIA Coaches' Preseason Poll. The Knights, who finished in the NAIA Quarterfinals one season ago, are beginning the season with their lowest appearance in the poll since 2019, when the Knights were rated preseason number 24. Marian would go on to win the NAIA Championship in 2019.

Jamestown (N.D.) opens the 2023 season at No. 1 in the NAIA Women's Volleyball preseason coaches' Top 25 rating after the team claimed its first title in 2022.

Marian is one of three Crossroads League teams ranked in the top-25, with Taylor ranked 12th and Indiana Wesleyan ranked 16th. Bethel sits outside of the top-25 by four spots as a receiving votes team. 

Marian will face seven teams featured as a ranked or receiving votes team in a total of 10 matches during the regular season, facing a tall task on their opening weekend of the season this Saturday as they play No. 7 Viterbo and (RV) Indiana Tech. 

The Knights will take on Wayland Baptist and IU Northwest on Friday night in their regular season opener. 
 

Rating Methodology

• The rating was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences/Continental Athletic Conference (Independents/unaffiliated groups.
• The Coaches Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second place and so on through the list.
• The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low rating) is removed and the team's ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the teams appear on.
• Teams that receive only one point on the ballot are not considered "receiving votes"

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