LOS ANGELES – The Loyola Marymount University beach volleyball team has been ranked No. 8 in the nation, according to Dig Magazine's preseason poll, following its 2020 schedule release. 
 
"We think we have one of the top teams in the country and are excited to go out there and be challenged by a really tough schedule," said head coach John Mayer. "We love to compete and we love to be challenged!" 
 
The Lions open up their 2020 season with a No. 8 ranking after winning the West Coast Conference Championship in 2019. LMU defeated Pepperdine twice, the first win over the Waves in school history to take the title. LMU went 21-11 on the season, with wins over several ranked teams and pairs.
 
The Lions head into the 2020 season with several ranked opponents on their schedule, including top 10 teams such as, No. 1 UCLA, No. 4 USC, No. 5 Hawaii, No. 6 Pepperdine, No. 7 Cal Poly and No. 9 Stetson.
 
LMU will kick off its season on February 20 against UCLA on the road. The Lions will play Pepperdine for their first West Coast Conference match on February 29 against Pepperdine. Mid-season, the team will head to Santa Cruz to participate in the Santa Cruz Boardwalk/WCC Invite, where the Lions went 4-0 last season. 
 
The Lions will close out the season at the WCC Championships on April 17-18 in Santa Monica,  Calif., while the NCAA Tournament will be held in Gulf Shores, Ala. 
 
"We'll be plenty motivated in our training leading up to our first match of the season at two-time defending NCAA champion UCLA. We get to play in the inaugural match at their new facility and will also play in the inaugural match at Cal Poly's new facility the following week," said Mayer.