ATLANTA, Ga. (August 31, 2026) – Fresh off their first Collegiate Conference of the South (CCS) Women's Soccer Championship, Belhaven has been selected as the favorite in the 2026 CCS Women's Soccer Preseason Poll. The Blazers received 33 points and four first-place votes, selected by the conference's seven head coaches, earning the top position for the first time.
Belhaven enters the season after a successful 2025 campaign that produced a 14-5-3 overall record and a 6-1-1 mark in conference play. The Blazers captured their first CCS Championship in program history with a 2-1 victory over Asbury in the tournament final. The championship represented Belhaven's first conference title as an NCAA member institution and its first overall conference championship since 2004. Returning for the Blazers are sophomore forwards Alexis Whiting, a Second Team All-Conference selection, and Kinsey Carter, who earned CCS All-Tournament Team honors.
Piedmont was picked second in the preseason poll with 28 points and one first-place vote after one of its strongest seasons since 2018. The Lions finished 15-5-1 overall and 6-2 in conference play, recording their highest win total since 2018. Piedmont advanced to the CCS Tournament semifinals following a quarterfinal victory over LaGrange before concluding its season against eventual champion Belhaven.
Selected third with 27 points and one first-place vote, Covenant posted a 6-9-2 overall record and finished fourth in the conference standings at 5-2-1 during the 2025 season. The Scots reached the CCS Tournament semifinals and return a slate of All-Conference performers, including junior forward AnnaLi Weekly, senior defender Gretchen Caswell, sophomore forward/midfielder Georgie Strawbridge, junior defender Autumn Biancamano, and senior goalkeeper Bronwyn Kickasola.
Asbury received 26 points and one first place vote to claim the fourth spot in the poll. The Eagles finished 11-9-4 overall and 4-3-1 in CCS competition a season ago. After advancing through the conference tournament and reaching the championship match, Asbury finished as tournament runner-up. The Eagles return experienced leadership on the back line with senior defenders Anna Sparks and Maggie Perry.
Rounding out the poll were Huntingdon (14 points), LaGrange (13), and Agnes Scott (6).
The 2026 season officially begins on Tuesday, Sept. 1, with all seven CCS women's soccer programs opening their schedules in non-conference action. Conference play begins later in September.
The CCS Women's Soccer Championship Tournament is scheduled to begin on Saturday, Oct. 31, and conclude with the championship match on Saturday, Nov. 7. Quarterfinal contests will be hosted by the higher-seeded teams, while the semifinal and championship rounds will be held at the Loretta P. Spencer Sports Complex in Huntsville, Alabama.
2026 CCS WOMEN’S SOCCER PRESEASON POLL
| Ranking |
School |
Points |
| 1 |
Belhaven University |
33 points (4) |
| 2 |
Piedmont University |
28 points (1) |
| 3 |
Covenant College |
27 points (1) |
| 4 |
Asbury University |
26 points (1) |
| 5 |
Huntingdon College |
14 points |
| 6 |
LaGrange College |
13 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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