GREENVILLE, S.C. – Emmanuel University, 2025 Conference Carolinas Women's Volleyball Championship champion, was picked to repeat in the 2026 Conference Carolinas Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll.
2025 Conference Carolinas Women's Volleyball Championship champion and 2024 runner-up and, Emmanuel received 10 first place votes and 216 points to sit atop the 2026 preseason poll. The Lions have won the Southwest Division each of the last two years and won the tournament title in 2023.
The Lions are followed closely by 2025 East Division champion, Francis Marion University, who received the final six first place votes and 215 points. UNC Pembroke comes in third with 181 points, narrowly ahead of 2025 tournament runner-up North Greenville University's 180 points. 2025 Northwest Division champion, Converse University, rounded out the top five with 174 points.
Shorter University is picked sixth with 148 points, the University of Mount Olive is picked seventh with 139 points while Southern Wesleyan University comes in eighth with 122. Lees-McRae College and Belmont Abbey College round out the top 10 with 120 and 98 points, respectively.
King University (89), Barton College (73), Young Harris College (67), Erskine College (48), Chowan University (34) and Ferrum College (16) finished the poll.
The 2026 Conference Carolinas Women's Volleyball Championship is scheduled to start with the first round on November 6 or 7 with the quarterfinals to follow on November 10 or 11. The semifinals and final will be competed at the Lumbee Guaranty Bank Court at UNC Pembroke in Pembroke, North Carolina on November 14-15.
The preseason poll was voted on by the league's head coaches and they can't vote for their own school.
2026 Conference Carolinas
Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll
|
School |
Points (1st Place) |
| 1 |
Emmanuel |
216 (10) |
| 2 |
Francis Marion |
215 (6) |
| 3 |
UNC Pembroke |
181 |
| 4 |
North Greenville |
180 |
| 5 |
Converse |
174 |
| 6 |
Shorter |
148 |
| 7 |
Mount Olive |
139 |
| 8 |
Southern Wesleyan |
122 |
| 9 |
Lees-McRae |
120 |
| 10 |
Belmont Abbey |
98 |
| 11 |
King |
89 |
| 12 |
Barton |
73 |
| 13 |
Young Harris |
67 |
| 14 |
Erskine |
48 |
| 15 |
Chowan |
34 |
| 16 |
Ferrum |
16 |
2026 Conference Carolinas Women's Volleyball
Players to Watch
Barton
- Bailey McIntyre, Jr., Outside Hitter, Mooresville, North Carolina
- Kylie Simpson, Jr., Lexington, Kentucky
- Paige Bagwell, Sr., Setter, Kings Mountain, North Carolina
Belmont Abbey
- Renata Bolado, Jr., OH, Sugar Land, Texas
- Lola Sultenfuss, MB, Sr., Hendersonville, North Carolina
- Emma Youngblood, S, Jr., Fletcher, North Carolina
Chowan
- Anna Holcombe, Jr., OH, Wake Forest, North Carolina
- Madison Henderson, So., MB, Mount Gilead, North Carolina
- Andrea Krgovic, Jr., S, Bijelo Polje, Montenegro
Converse
- Alysha Arroyo, Sr., Isabela, Puerto Rico (2025 All-Conference second team, 2024 Conference Carolinas All-Tournament)
- Ariel Bryant, Sr., Fort Mill, South Carolina (2024 All-Conference third team, 2024 Conference Carolinas All-Tournament)
- Alayah Robertson, Sr., Clayton, North Carolina (2025 All-Conference second team)
Emmanuel
- Ellie Jackson, Gr., OH, Jacksonville, Florida (2025, 2024 All-Conference first team, 2025, 2024 AVCA honorable mention All-America and All-Southeast Region)
- Maruša Pešut, So., S, Maribur, Slovenia (2025 Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year and first team all-conference, 2025 AVCA Southeast Region Freshman of the Year)
- Cailin Pritchard, Sr., OPP, Guyton, Georgia (2nd team All-Conference in 2024, 3rd team All-Conference in 2025)
Erskine
- Becca Yohe, Sr., OPP, Summerville, South Carolina
- MJ Hurd, Sr., L, Pembroke Pines, Florida
- Ella Dietrich, Jr., MB, Port Orange, Florida
Ferrum
- Catherine Bennett, Sr., OH, Melbourne, Florida
- Ema Powell, So., MB, Brevard, North Carolina
- Harleigh Propst, Jr., Setter, Fayton, Virginia
Francis Marion
- Madilyn Gartner, Sr., OH, Albertville, Minnesota (2025 AVCA honorable mention All-America, 2025 honorable mention AVCA All-Southeast Region, 2025 D2 CCA All-Southeast Region first team, 2025 Conference Carolinas Offensive Player of the Year and all-conference first team)
- Haleigh Kamer, So., OH/OPP, Black Mountain, North Carolina
- Venessa Blake, Gr., MB, Summerville, South Carolina
King
- Avery Schwieger, Jr., OH, Winter Park, Florida
- Isabella "Gracie" Statzer, Fr., MB, Abingdon, Virginia
- Amaya Hall, Sr., S, Indian Trail, North Carolina
Lees-McRae
- Iza Rosin, So., S, São Paulo, Brazil (2025 All-Conference Carolinas third team)
- Brooke Ashkenase, Jr., DS, Wesley Chapel, Florida
- Peyton Volk-Tuller, Jr., RS, Mooresville, North Carolina
Mount Olive
- Olivia Melvin, Jr., OH, Fayetteville, North Carolina (2025 All-Conference Carolinas third team, 2024 Conference Carolinas Freshman of the Year)
- Rachel Clark, Sr., MB, Charlotte, North Carolina
- Lyndsay Reid, Sr., S, Thomasville, North Carolina
UNC Pembroke
- Abby Peduzzi, Sr., OH, Hilton Head, South Carolina (2025 and 2024 All-Conference Carolinas first team)
- Addie Decker, Jr., RS, Indianapolis, Indiana
- Tyler Patterson, Sr., S, Jacksonville, Florida (2024 All-Conference Carolinas second team)
North Greenville
- Anna Fiddelke, Sr., MB, Fountain Inn, South Carolina (All-Conference Carolinas second team)
- Samantha Ball, Sr., OH, Saint Paul, Minnesota (All-Conference Carolinas second team)
- Allison Ball, Sr., S, Saint Paul, Minnesota (All-Conference Carolinas second team)
Shorter
- Victoria Sparks, Sr., OH, Bardstown, Kentucky
- Caitlyn Sutton, So., L, Loganville, Georgia
- Alexis Williams, Sr., MB, Hillsboro, Kentucky
Southern Wesleyan
- Ainsley Stovall, Jr., OH, Freeport, Illinois
- Briley Wolff, So., MB, Boerne, Texas
- Megan Gilliland, Sr., RS/MB, Casstown, Ohio
Young Harris
- Lyza Thigpen, Sr., S, Flowery Branch, Georgia (2024 All-Conference Carolinas third team)
- Piper Duckworth, Fr., OPP, Cumming, Georgia
- Mary Margaret Wilson, So., OH, Acworth, Georgia