Coming off back-to-back appearances in the 'Elite Eight' of the NCAA Division III Men's Volleyball Championship, Rutgers University-Newark finds itself ranked No. 11 in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Preseason Poll which was released Wednesday evening.
 
"It is always great to be recognized by the AVCA and others in Division III volleyball," said Scarlet Raider Head Coach Pedro Trevino Wednesday night. "With that being said, 2017 is a brand-new year with a new set of challenges. We have a ton of work to do to get where we need to, and I know I speak for everyone in saying we are looking forward to getting the season started January 20 with The Golden Dome Invitational."
 
Rutgers-Newark will host the annual tournament on Friday, January 20 and Saturday, January 21, and the Scarlet Raiders will welcome some of the top teams in the nation to Newark including Stevens Institute of Technology and UC-Santa Cruz. Stevens is ranked third nationally to start the season and Santa Cruz comes in at No. 6.
 
R-N's conference – the Continental Volleyball Conference – has a trio of teams in the top-15. Stevenson University is ranked fifth, the Scarlet Raiders are 11th and Juniata College is ranked 15th.
 
Springfield College tops the poll, SUNY New Paltz is second, Stevens is third, Carthage is fourth and Stevenson is fifth. In addition to Rutgers-Newark and Stevens, New Jersey institution Kean University checks in at No. 10 and closeby New York University is No. 14.
 
Newark will have a tough schedule this year, squaring off twice against nationally-ranked Stevens, Juniata and Stevenson, while also doing battle with Santa Cruz and NYU. R-N will also see Lasell College, conference foe Marymount University and Elmira College who are all in the receiving votes portion of the poll.
 
The Scarlet Raiders have made a name for themselves in their first two seasons as members of NCAA Division III, twice making the national tournament and compiling a splendid record of 46-14 over the last two years. Rutgers-Newark has gone 21-3 in conference play over that same span, and R-N won the 2015 CVC title in its first season as a member of the league.