Ricky Nelson’s 2016 preseason top 25

The Road to Oshkosh doesn’t officially begin until September. However, the guesswork starts much earlier. For your scrutinizing pleasure, here is my preseason top 25 followed by another 10 teams that should garner votes in AVCA’s preseason poll, which typically debuts in mid-August.

1. Cal Lutheran 31-5 2. Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 27-6 3. Christopher Newport 30-3 4. Juniata 33-3 5. Emory 34-4 6. Calvin 30-4 7. Elmhurst 24-12 8. Wittenberg 29-3 9. Bethel 25-10 10. Illinois Wesleyan 23-10 11. Millikin 23-13 12. Washington-St. Louis 34-3 13. Wisconsin-Whitewater 31-5 14. Ohio Wesleyan 26-6 15. Heidelberg 27-7 16. Eastern 29-8 17. Carthage 35-8 18. Wisconsin-Oshkosh 26-9 19. Hope 24-7 20. Colorado College 34-4 21. Hendrix 29-9 22. Baldwin Wallace 23-7 23. Wisconsin-Stevens Point 27-9 24. Northwestern 26-9 25. Buena Vista 18-16

The next 10 (in alphabetical order): Greenville (24-8); Gustavus Adolphus (27-3); Loras (22-13); MIT (30-4); Ohio Northern (24-6); Stockton (32-5); Southwestern (31-5); Springfield (31-4); Texas Dallas (31-3); Thomas More (26-5).

-Ricky Nelson