For the fourth straight year the Clarkson University Volleyball team is considered one of the best squads in the country in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) pre-season poll, as the Golden Knights earned the 20th spot with 289 points according to the 49 coaches surveyed in August.

August 17th AVCA Pre-Season Poll

This marks the 30th straight week that the Golden Knights have been inside the top 25, as they spent all of 2014 and 2015 in the poll and were in the top 25 the final four weeks of the 2013 season. This is also the fifth straight year that Clarkson has been in at least one poll, finishing 2012 ranked 25th in the country. Clarkson high-water mark was 11th midway through the 2014 season. The Knights began 2015 as the 13th ranked team and ended the season 13th after reaching the NCAA Quarterfinals for a fourth straight year.

Clarkson will not be dodging any of the top teams in NCAA Division III in 2016, as it will face three teams ranked in the pre-season top five (Calvin, Emory, Juniata) and five teams overall in the top 25 (Hope, Randolph-Macon). The Knights also have on the docket seven additional teams that were on multiple ballots but ranked just outside the top 25 (Heidelberg, Ithaca, New York University, Ohio Wesleyan, Stevens, Stockton, and Susquehanna).