1. Stanford (3-0) – The four-time defending conference champions, the Cardinal, are going to be on top of this list until someone knocks them off their perch at the top of the conference. Stanford returns 2009 Pac-10 all-conference selections Cassidy Lichtman and Alix Klineman, who was just named the Pacific 10 Conference player of the week.
2. Washington (2-0) – Fresh off of a 24-6 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2009, the Huskies return two all-conference selections in seniors Kindra Carlson and Jenna Hagglund. UW looks to be the Pac-10’s best shot at dethroning Stanford.
3. California (2-0) – After making an Elite Eight appearance in last year’s NCAA tournament, the Golden Bears were voted fifth in the preseason Pac-10 Coaches Poll. Look for California to play the disrespect card, at least early in the season. The Bears must replace Pac-10 Player of the Year Hana Cutura.
4. Arizona (2-1) – After being eliminated in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Arizona returns nearly every key contributor from the 2009 team. Senior Paige Weber is ranked second out of all the conference’s active players in service aces with 96 in her career. Head coach Dave Rubio is the active wins leader in the Pac-10, with 340 victories in his 19 years at UA.
5. Southern California (3-0) – Want an example of how deep the Pac-10 is in volleyball? USC is ranked the No. 10 team in the country in the latest AVCA Coaches Poll. The Trojans dropped their second-round matchup against Hawaii in last year’s NCAA Tournament.
UCLA (2-1) – Ranked the No. 14 team in the nation in the 2009 AVCA poll, the Bruins dropped their last game against Hawaii. UCLA returns All Pac-10 selection Amanda Gil, who is a defensive asset standing at 6-feet-6-inches tall.
6. Oregon (3-0)
– Ranked at No. 18 in the 2009 AVCA poll, Oregon is the last ranked team in this week’s power rankings. The Ducks need to find a way to replace two All Pac-10 selections from the 2009 season.
7. Washington State (2-1) – Head coach Andrew Palileo is the reigning Pac-10 Coach of the Year after leading the Cougars to an NCAA tournament appearance in 2009. WSU needs to replace two Pac-10 honorable mention performers, but return Pac-10 all-freshman performers Oceana Bush and Rachel Todorovich.
8. Oregon State (0-3) – One of only two Pac-10 teams to not make it to the Big Dance in 2009, the Beavers are in for a rebuilding year after replacing All Pac-10 selection Rachel Rourke.
9. Arizona State (1-1)
- The Devils went 3-15 in the Pac-10 last year, so there’s only one way the team can go from here: up. The lone bright spot in 2009 was freshman Ashley Kastl.
