What you need to know:

* Georgia State comes in at No. 8 in the first AVCA Coaches Poll of the 2016 season.

* The Panthers ended last year at the same spot in the top-10.

* GSU opens the season March 5 in Boca Raton, Fla., at the FAU Invitational.

ATLANTA, Ga. – Georgia State's beach volleyball team, fresh off an appearance at the AVCA National Championships in 2015, is ranked No. 8 in the country in the first America Volleyball Coaches Association Poll of 2016, the NCAA announced Monday.

“Like every other team in the country, we are working day after day to compete for two short months this spring. It's an honor to be recognized as a preseason top-10 program and I believe that acknowledgement is the result of the determination and passion that our student-athletes access each time they step into the sand,” head coach Beth van Fleet said. “Being a top-10 team in the preseason is fantastic, but we will be working to be a top-eight postseason program as well.”

Georgia State was ranked for most of 2015 and rose as high as No. 7 before receiving the sixth seed at the AVCA National Championships. The Panthers will begin their 2016 campaign in the No. 8 spot as the defending-champions USC Trojans claim the top spot.

GSU will compete in the newly formed Coastal Collegiate Sports Association as a founding member this spring and is one of three schools to be ranked in the top-10. Florida State and FIU come in at No. 5 and No. T-6, respectively.

The Panthers earned an 18-3 record last season and return all but three student-athletes from that squad. Georgia State adds three newcomers to bolster its depth. Seniors Jansen Button and Sara Olivova return for a final season after earning All-America status a year ago.

Beach volleyball's only other poll, published by DiG Magazine, also has Georgia State at No. 8 in its first ranking.



Georgia State's first competition of the season is March 5 at the FAU Invitational in Boca Raton, Fla. The Panthers' first of two home events will be March 9 when Mercer visits the GSU Sand Courts. Admission is free to the public.

Follow along with Georgia State on Twitter (@GSUBeachVB) for the latest news.