ATLANTA, Ga. (August 31, 2026) – Following a championship-winning season and the program's first NCAA Division III Tournament appearance, Asbury was selected first in the 2026 Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll. The Eagles received 35 points and five first-place votes in a vote by the league's seven head coaches.
Asbury enters 2026 after capturing the 2025 CCS Women's Volleyball Championship and finishing with a 22-8 overall record, including a 15-1 mark in conference play. The Eagles secured the conference title with a five-set victory over Maryville in the championship match, earning the program's first berth in the NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship. Among the returning standouts for Asbury are junior outside hitter Isabelle VandeSchraaf and junior middle blocker Abigail Bruner, both of whom earned All-Conference recognition last season.
Selected second in the preseason poll with 32 points and two first-place votes, Covenant posted a 20-14 overall record and a 13-3 conference finish in 2025. The Scots advanced to the CCS Tournament semifinals after defeating Belhaven in straight sets during quarterfinal play before falling to Maryville in a five-set semifinal contest. Covenant returns seniors Cali Sandhoff and Kennedy Barber, both All-Conference selections who helped lead the program to another 20-win season.
LaGrange earned the third spot in the preseason poll with 25 points following a season that saw the Panthers advance to the CCS Tournament semifinals. The Panthers finished 13-20 overall and 10-6 in conference play before recording a quarterfinal victory over Huntingdon. LaGrange returns 2025 CCS Setter of the Year Julia Damico as well as All-Conference performers Alex Krabs and Kaitlyn Smith, providing experience on a roster that reached the conference's final four a season ago.
Huntingdon was selected fourth in the preseason rankings with 19 points after compiling a 17-18 overall record and an 8-8 mark in league play last season. The Hawks qualified for the CCS Championship Tournament and will look to build upon that experience in 2026. Junior outside hitter Morgan Suggs returns after earning All-Conference honors during the 2025 campaign.
Rounding out the poll were Piedmont (16 points), Belhaven (14), and Agnes Scott (6).
The 2026 season officially begins on Tuesday, September 1, with four CCS women’s volleyball programs opening competition in non-conference play. Conference action begins in mid-September. The CCS Women’s Volleyball Championship Tournament is scheduled for Nov. 12-14, with the tournament champion being crowned on Saturday, Nov. 14, hosted by the highest seeded team.
2026 CCS WOMEN’S VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON POLL
| Ranking |
School |
Points |
| 1 |
Asbury University |
35 points (5) |
| 2 |
Covenant College |
32 points (2) |
| 3 |
LaGrange College |
25 points |
| 4 |
Huntingdon College |
19 points |
| 5 |
Piedmont University |
16 points |
| 6 |
Belhaven University |
14 points |
| 7 |
Agnes Scott College |
6 points |
First-place votes in parenthesis.
ABOUT THE COLLEGIATE CONFERENCE OF THE SOUTH (CCS)
The CCS is an NCAA Division III athletic conference that began play during the 2022-23 academic year. The conference features seven member institutions (Agnes Scott College, Asbury University, Belhaven University, Covenant College, Huntingdon College, LaGrange College, and Piedmont University) and sponsors championships across 16 sports. In addition to sharing the member institutions' geographic identity, the name 'Collegiate Conference of the South' is indicative of a shared commitment to academic excellence, which is commensurate with the NCAA Division III philosophy.
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