LEXINGTON, KY – Following a 2022 season that saw the Jays go 24-8 and reach the Elite Eight for the second time in program history, the Johns Hopkins volleyball team was ranked ninth in the American Volleyball Coaches Association Preseason Poll, as released this afternoon. This marks the third consecutive year the Jays have placed in the top-10 prior to the season starting, having ranked sixth and ninth in 2021 and 2022 respectively.
 
Matt Troy returns several key players from his 2022 roster that looks poised to make a leap in 2023, including young leaders on both the offensive and defensive end in sophomores Simone Adam and Alice Yu as well as veterans Simrin Carlsen and Pamela Chiakpo. In addition to the team's four incoming freshman, Hopkins also welcomed Grace Reininga, a graduate transfer who joins the program after spending time at Northwestern and will look to make an immediate impact in her new home.
 
The Jays open their season September 1 with a matchup against reigning NCAA Champions and top-ranked Juniata in the Greg "Gio" Giovanazzi Memorial Tournament that also features No. 19 Wittenberg in what will be an eventful opening weekend for Hopkins. Elsewhere on the calendar, the Jays face off against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps — who ranks third in the preseason poll — September 9, as well as several other programs currently receiving votes throughout the season.