ve its faint playoff hopes with the victory, moving into a tie for seventh place in the Western Conference with FC Dallas on 33 points. Sporting Kansas City (11-8-6) retained its shhare of the Eastern

The American Volleyball Coaches Association released its 2016 preseason poll?on?Wednesday. Here are some of the noteworthy names and numbers.1: That would be Nebraska. Loaded Nebraska. The defending national champions received the top ranking in the AVCA poll for the fifth time in their history (2001, 2005, 2006, 2007). The Cornhuskers return five starters: first-team All-American Kadie Rolfzen, second-team All-American Amber Rolfzen, third-team All-American and reigning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Justine Wong-Orantes, All-American honorable mention setter Kelly Hunter and defensive specialist Kenzie Maloney. Also back is Mikaela Foecke, the most outstanding player at the NCAA championships, who came off the bench for all but three games.2: Runner-up a year ago, Texas starts the season exactly where it ended last season: right behind Nebraska. The Longhorns have four players on the Big 12s preseason all-conference team, the most of any team. Count them: Chiaka Ogbogu, Ebony Nwanebu, Chloe Collins and Paulina Prieto Cerame. Nwanebu returns from a medical redshirt after sitting out all but one game in 2015 because of a back injury. The 6-foot-4 junior who spent her first two seasons at USC was a national team player in 2014. The Longhorns also boast the preseason freshman of the year, Orie Agbaji.5: Kansas, a surprise team in the national semifinals a year ago, wont be sneaking up on anyone this season and starts in the No. 5 spot. Youll be getting a lot of No. 8 from the Jayhawks, in the form of the jersey number worn by junior Kelsie Payne, who is the first Jayhawk to be named the preseason Big 12 player of the year.7:?The number of Big Ten teams ranked in the preseason poll. Nebraska is followed by Minnesota (3), Wisconsin (4), Penn State (9), Illinois (14), Ohio State (15) and Purdue (20).T7: Washington, which lost seven seniors to graduation, is tied with USC for seventh. The Huskies and Trojans are the top-ranked teams in the Pac-12. Stanford is No. 11, and UCLA is No. 12.12: The number of times the preseason No. 1 has finished as the NCAA champion. Penn State (1999, 2008-10), UCLA (1990-91), Stanford (1994, 1997), Nebraska (2006) USC (2013), Pacific (1986) and Hawaii (1983) all finished where they started.17:?Thanks to Florida State, the best rank for an ACC school. Oddly, North Carolina, ranked 19th, was picked to win the ACC title by the conference coaches.18: Nebraskas other team, Creighton, begins at No. 18, the best starting position in school history. The Bluejays advanced to the Sweet 16 last season and were previously ranked as high as 19.21: Loyola Marymount, which advanced to the Sweet 16 after upsetting Stanford on its home floor a year ago, starts with a No. 21 ranking.27: Of August, that is. Circle the date. Thats when this years top two teams, Nebraska and Texas, also last years NCAA finalists, square off in the VERT Challenge in Eugene, Oregon.34: The number of wins last season by No. 22 Western Kentucky, picked to win its third Conference USA championship in 2016. The Hilltoppers 153 victories the past five seasons are second only to Penn States win total.60: The number of first-place votes received by Nebraska. No. 2 Texas received three votes for the top spot, and No. 11 Stanford got one.1,189: Number of wins Penn States Russ Rose brings into the 2016 season. Thats the most by anyone ever.1,818: Average attendance for No. 15 Ohio State, which hosts the 2016 final four.8,291: Although the road trip to play sixth-ranked Hawaii is often the longest haul of the season for teams, consider how far Rainbow Wahine coach Dave Shoji is from his team this preseason. Shoji left Wednesday for Rio de Janeiro, which is 8,291 miles from Honolulu, to watch his sons, Erik and Kawika, compete for the United States in the Olympics.Custom High School Shirts . Those lessons were more than enough to overwhelm the Utah Jazz. Lou Williams scored 25 points and the Hawks continued their offensive upswing as they rolled to an easy 118-85 victory over the Jazz on Friday night, winning their third straight and for the fourth time in five games. Authentic Custom High School Shirts . The team says the Spain international has a muscle pull in his right leg. Barcelona hosts third-division side Cartagena in the return leg of their round-of-32 tie after winning their first meeting 4-1. http://www.customjerseyshighschool.com/ . Woodson said during a radio interview Thursday that the Knicks Carmelo Anthony doesnt get the same calls as other superstars. Custom High School Shirts Store . -- Whether Jeremy Hill deserves a prominent role in LSUs offence this early in the season is a matter for debate. Wholesale Custom High School Jerseys .Y. -- Canadas Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse have another World Cup gold medal after winning the two-women bobsled race on Saturday in Lake Placid, N.SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Chris Wondolowski scored for the third time in as many league matches and the San Jose Earthquakes extended their home winning streak to five consecutive games with a 1-0 victory over Sporting Kansas City on Sunday night. Wondolowski and the Earthquakes broke through in the 55th minute against one of the MLS stingiest defences. Steven Beitashour delivered a cross off a deflected ball on the right wing and Wondolowski knifed behind Sportings back line to reach the looping pass and head it inside the near post from 12 yards out for his eighth goal. San Jose (9-10-6) kept alive its faint playoff hopes with the victory, moving into a tie for seventh place in the Western Conference with FC Dallas on 33 points. Sporting Kansas City (11-8-6) retained its shhare of the Eastern Conference top spot, but lost its game in hand on co-leader New York.dddddddddddd. The five-game home winning streak is San Joses longest since August 2005. Wondolowski has scored in five straight matches against Sporting Kansas City. San Jose had the best chance of the first half when Clarence Goodson rose to meet Marvin Chavezs 33rd-minute free kick deep inside Kansas Citys box. But Kansas City goalkeeper Jimmy Nielsen prevented the U.S. internationals first goal for San Jose with a diving, right-handed stop. The visitors appeals for a penalty kick were denied in the 65th minute after Matt Beslers free kick from the right wing was flicked forward by Aurelin Collin and Kansas Citys Soony Saad collided with Beitashour at the back post. ' ' '