Three-time defending champion Greenville University was picked as the preseason favorites in SLIAC Volleyball by league coaches. The Panthers grabbed six first-place votes and totaled 36 points in the poll. Head Coach Tom Ackerman returns four starters including All-Conference performers Abby Grohmann, Claudia Bonacorsi, and Emma Ratermann. Grohmann led the SLIAC in kills with 382 and was named the Player of the Year while Bonacorsi finished with 489 digs and took home Defensive Player of the Year honors. Ratermann paced the league in assists at 9.82 and is already on the SLIAC top ten career assist list. They also bring in All-Conference transfer Alyssa Company and freshman Keira Weber.
Coming in 2nd on the poll is Westminster College with 31 points and one first-place vote. The Blue Jays went 28-8 last season, setting a new conference record for wins in a season. Head Coach Dalton Tucker brings back four starters from the squad but loses a pair of First Team All-Conference performers in Kylie Hasselbacher and Meghan Nolte. He turns to returning Second Team All-Conference players Samantha Hansen, Paige Rowland, and Haylie Schnake to fill their spots. Rowland totaled 261 kills and 44 aces last season while Hansen finished with 243 kills and a .332 hitting percentage. Schnake was second in the league in the digs with 499. The Blue Jays welcome in Kylee Brandt, Sydney Suthoff, and a transfer in Erica Vogel.
Two teams tied for 3rd on the poll with 22 points. Webster University was 11-18 last season, going 6-8 in conference action. Head Coach Merry Graf returns nine players while bringing in seven freshman and five transfers. Eva Tarlos heads up the list of returners after putting together 155 kills and 65 blocks last season. Catherine Rennier closed out her freshman year with a strong finish, earning All-Tournament recognition. Also back is libero Maddie Bock, who totaled 171 digs last year. The list of new faces include transfers: Karen Lewis, Reagan Howe, Lexi Filkins, Chloe Hendrix, and Addison Urbanski; as well as freshman Cameron Garcia.
Lyon College welcomes a new head coach in Paeton Tucker. The Scots were 14-15 overall last season, finishing 7-7 in SLIAC play. No team information was provided.
Blackburn College totaled 18 points, placing 5th on the poll. Head Coach Shannon Bishop is anticipating the continued growth of her roster. The Beavers finished 12-17 overall last season and 7-7 in conference play, marking the first-time since 1990 the program did not finish with a losing conference record. All-Conference performers Rylea Black and Kenadee Frey return. Black, a middle, finished fourth in the league in hitting percentage while Frey, a setter, averaged 6.54 assists per set; ranking her fourth in the conference. Also back are outside hitter Rean Ward and liberos Elexus Frey and Marissa Perez. New faces to the program are Gabriela Appel and transfer Georgina Painter.
Finishing 6th in the voting was Spalding University with 11 points. Todd Garvey takes over the program as its new head coach. The Golden Eagles were 5-25 last season and return four starters: Jobi Smith, Paloma Martinez, Adreonna Anderson, and Mikayla Grundy. Martinez finished sixth in the SLIAc at 2.74 kills per set while Anderson was fourth in blocks at 0.79 per set. Smith and Grundy each finished just under 100 kills last season. Outside hitter Kylie Minnis will be challenging for time in the rotation.
Eureka College collected 7 points in the voting. First-year head coach Jennifer Bartlett takes over a program that went 8-18 overall last season. Top returners include Cloee O'Donoghue, Kaitlyn Robinson, and Maleaha Nagel. O'Donoghue totaled over 200 digs last season while Robinson led the team in assists and Nagel had a team-high 37 blocks. Key additions are Kendall Vincent and Laynee Whitsitt.
2026 SLIAC VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Rylea Black, Blackburn College
Alyssa Company, Greenville University
Kenadee Frey, Blackburn College
Abby Grohmann, Greenville University
Samantha Hansen, Westminster College
Paloma Martinez, Spalding University
Emma Ratermann, Greenville University
Paige Rowland, Westminster College
Haylie Schnake, Westminster College
Landrey VanOverschelde, Westminster College