After one of the most exciting five-game NCAA National Championship Final matches in history a year ago between eventual National Champion UC Irvine and the University of Southern California, 2010 is sure to bring even more battles. Below we take a look at ten teams who could make a run for the hardware at the NCAA Men’s Volleyball Collegiate National Championship, to be hosted by Stanford on May 6 and 8 at Maples Pavilion.

They come from the three men’s volleyball national Division I-II conferences, the EIVA (Eastern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association), the MIVA (Midwestern Intercollegiate Volleyball Association) and the MPSF (Mountain Pacific Sports Federation).

The winner of each of the three conference tournaments, along with an at-large bid selected by the NCAA Championship committee, earns a bid and the right to play for the national title.

Of these ten teams, all of them return at least four starters from last season and some return their entire team. All participated

in their conference tournaments a year ago and gained that valuable do-or-die experience that comes with single-elimination formats. Four advanced to the gauntlet that is the NCAA National

Collegiate Semifinals. Some coaches are confident in their chances to be the last team standing in Palo Alto while others are a little unsure at this point. All are optimistic, but that’s why the players play the game.

VBM talked with coaches across the country about who they thought would be in the running in the spring and the responses were varied. Most of the teams were the same, but where they should rank was up in the air. Read on to learn a little more about some of the top teams in NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball this season, in alphabetical order.