The Cardinals, coming off a 22-10 season and an NCAA tournament appearance, found themselves ranked No. 24 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25 Preseason Poll, it was announced Wednesday.

“It's a nice honor,” said SMU coach Mike Lester, noting that the preseason ranking marks the first time in his 13-year tenure that the Cardinals have been nationally ranked. “Obviously, being ranked in the (AVCA) preseason poll has a lot to do with what we accomplished last year, but it also shows that we've caught the attention of a lot of national voters.”

SMU, which dropped a 3-1 decision to eventual national champion Washington University-St. Louis in the NCAA Central Regional semifinal a year ago, is one of three Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference teams among the preseason Top 25. St. Thomas comes in at No. 8, while St. Olaf is 19th.

Washington University-St. Louis, coming off its 10th national championship, is a unanimous No. 1 selection, while Juniata, Emory, Hope and Colorado College round out the top five.

“It's great to be recognized, but it is just a preseason poll,” cautioned Lester. “It's not going to change how we approach the season. It's really more of a motivating factor — we're starting the season 24th, let's see how far we can go.”