Jan. 7, 2003

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.-The North Carolina volleyball team was ranked 12th in the final USA Today/AVCA Division I Coaches Poll, the American Volleyball Coaches Association released yesterday.

The Tar Heels were ranked in 15 of the 15 weekly polls and in the final poll. The only poll in which Carolina was not ranked was the preseason poll.

Carolina earned the highest ranking ever for an Atlantic Coast Conference team at No. 11 earlier this season.

The team's season ended with a loss to Hawai'i in the regionals of the NCAA Tournament. The team's 32-4 record set a program record for winning percentage at .889.

The final 2003 poll follows:

USA TODAY/AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25
2002 FINAL POLL

School (Total Points, Record, Last Rank)
1. USC (1,625, 31-1, 1)
2. Stanford (1,558, 32-5, 3)
3. Hawai'i (1,466, 34-2, 2)
4. Florida (1,452, 34-3, 5)
5. Nebraska (1,372, 31-2, 4)
6. Pepperdine (1,264, 26-7, 8)
7. Washington State (1,184, 24-8, 10)
8. UC Santa Barbara (1,130, 30-3, 7)
9. Northern Iowa (1,116, 34-3, 6)
10. Arizona (1,066, 20-12, 12)
11. Minnesota (1,014, 32-6, 9)
12. North Carolina (892, 32-4, 11)
13. Ohio State (811, 21-11, 13)
14. Long Beach State (645, 28-4, 14)
15. UCLA (570, 20-14, 17)
16. Penn State (557, 25-8, 15)
17. Georgia Tech (509, 33-6, 16)
18. Wisconsin (455, 24-9, 18)
19. Santa Clara (350, 24-7, 19)
20. Missouri (333, 26-8, 20)
21. Kansas State (291, 21-9, 22)
22. Michigan State (288, 21-12, 23)
23. Miami, Fla. (265, 27-6, 24)
24. Eastern Washington (251, 29-2, 21)
25. Temple (196, 29-7, 25)

Others receiving points and listed on two or more ballots: California (104), Washington (83), South Carolina (66), Texas (43), San Diego (42), South Florida (38), Utah (24), Arkansas (21), Pacific (14), Texas A&M (10), Arizona State (7), Louisville (6).