Volleyball On SI

2026 AVCA Preseason Top 25 Revealed With New Twist

The AVCA and NCAA have teamed up for a new reveal of the 2026 preseason rankings, giving the annual Top 25 announcement a fresh look.

Maren Angus

Nebraska Cornhuskers outside hitter Harper Murray (27) attacks against Texas A&M Aggies middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla (1) and opposite hitter Logan Lednicky (9) during the first set at Bob Devaney Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images
Nebraska Cornhuskers outside hitter Harper Murray (27) attacks against Texas A&M Aggies middle blocker Ifenna Cos-Okpalla (1) and opposite hitter Logan Lednicky (9) during the first set at Bob Devaney Sports Center. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The month of August brings daily NCAA Women’s Volleyball news, and the second Monday of the month has become a yearly tradition of the AVCA (American Volleyball Coaches Association) Preseason Top-25 rankings.

On Monday afternoon, the AVCA and NCAA revealed the preseason top 25, with Nebraska taking the top spot and reigning national champion Texas A&M coming in at No. 8.

In years past, the YouTube show “Six Rotations” has handled the unveiling of this highly anticipated drop. This year, the AVCA shook things up, partnering with the NCAA to reveal teams starting the 2026 season with a little number next to their names. 

Michella Chester hosted the reveal show on Monday afternoon, less than a week after her Preseason Power 10 Rankings. 

For those unfamiliar, NCAA women’s volleyball is a sport that solely relies on head coaches to rank the top 25 teams each week, with the poll coming out on Mondays (usually via “Six Rotations”). 

This, of course, leads to constant scrutiny from the rabid fan bases and consistent talking points for the media realm. This list of teams does not disappoint in that area (especially if you live in College Station, Texas). 

2026 AVCA/Taraflex Division I Women’s Volleyball Preseason Poll (Aug. 10)

  1. Nebraska (1,568 total points adjusted). 57 first-place votes (of 63)
  2. Texas (1,427). 1 first-place vote
  3. Kentucky (1,398). 4 first-place votes
  4. Pittsburgh (1,383)
  5. Stanford (1,312)
  6. Wisconsin (1,268)
  7. Louisville (1,140)
  8. Texas A&M (1,089). 1 first-place vote
  9. Purdue (1,002)
  10.  Penn State (947)
  11. SMU (934)
  12.  Arizona State (920)
  13.  Creighton (843)
  14.  Minnesota (721)
  15.  Kansas (566)
  16.  Indiana (497)
  17.  Florida (455)
  18.  TCU (444)
  19.  North Carolina (437)
  20.  Southern California (395)
  21.  Baylor (361)
  22.  Tennessee (194)
  23.  Colorado (180)
  24.  BYU (161)
  25.  Oregon (138)

RV (receiving votes): Miami (124), Iowa State (104), Georgia Tech (77), UCLA (61), Cal Poly (58), Utah (41), San Diego (34), Western Kentucky (33), Marquette (28)

Conference Breakdown

Big Ten: 8
Big 12: 6
ACC: 5
SEC: 5
Big East: 1

The most notable addition to the 2026 season will be the Big Ten Tournament, which comes on the heels of the successful 2025 SEC Tournament in Savannah, Ga. 

The Big Ten’s rendition will take place in Fishers, Ind., from Nov. 20-25 and include the top 15 of 18 teams. The top nine seeds will receive byes, and Nos. 1-4 earning double byes into the quarterfinals. 

The SEC Tournament will return to Savannah from Nov. 20-24. 

Moving Forward

Despite the 2026 regular season kicking off Friday, Aug. 21, with a pair of incredible top 10 matches (stay tuned for a guide to watching), the first in-season AVCA/Taraflex Coaches Poll will be released Aug. 31, after the first full weekend of volleyball action. 

Make sure to set a reminder, bookmark Volleyball on SI, and check every Monday for the weekly polls! 

Daniel Gillman contributed to this article.

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Maren Angus
MAREN ANGUS

Maren Angus was born in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville, Tenn. She is a graduate of Middle Tennessee State University and has been a sports writer since 2008. She has been covering college softball since 2016 for various outlets including Softball America, ESPNW and Hurrdat Sports. She is currently the publisher of Softball On SI and also serves as an analyst for Nebraska softball games on Nebraska Public Media and B1G+.

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