COSTA MESA -- The coaches of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation have ranked the men's volleyball teams heading into the 2026 season and the Lions were picked to finish eighth out of the 10 teams in the league.  It is the second year in a row the team has been slotted in eighth.  UCLA just edged out Pepperdine by three points even though each program netted four first-place points.
 
The Blue and Gold earned 26 points, five behind Menlo in seventh and nine back of CUI in sixth.  The newcomers to the league, Jessup and UC Merced, were ninth and 10th.  The Lions start play quickly in the new year on January 8 against Rockhurst and host USC on January 15 to start MPSF play.