Aug. 9, 2012

BERKELEY - The coaches of the Pac-12 believe that the California volleyball team will finish sixth in conference play, according to the annual preseason poll.

The last time the Bears were picked to finish in the middle of the Pac, it was a fifth-place forecast for 2010, and Cal went on to defy all expectations and share the Pac-10 title.

Defending national champion UCLA earned 10 of the possible 12 first-place votes to take first. Stanford received the other two first-place votes, putting the Cardinal second. USC tallied 96 points for third, Oregon took fourth and Washington was fifth.

Rounding out the bottom half of the poll are Arizona (seventh), Arizona State (eighth), Oregon State (ninth), Utah (10th), Washington State (11th) and Colorado (12th).

The Golden Bears will host a Blue & Gold Scrimmage on Aug. 18 that is free for all to attend. For more information on that, please click here. The 2012 campaign gets underway Aug. 25 with matches against Delaware and San Diego State in San Diego. The first home match for the Bears is Sept. 6 against Jiangsu, which is a Chinese club team.

Season and single-match tickets are currently available for sale. For more information on how to join the Cal volleyball family by purchasing them, please click here.