ROCK HILL, S.C. - After making back-to-back appearances in the SAC Championship game, head coach Nicole Barringer and the Lenoir-Rhyne volleyball team have been picked to finish third in the South Atlantic Conference this season, as voted on by the conference coaches.

Emmaleigh Allen and Averie Dale were named to the Preseason All-Conference Team while UVA Wise transfer Morgan Blankenship was listed as a Player to Watch. 

Dale returns after being named an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American last season. She led the team with a .399 hitting % and 107 blocks. Allen was named the SAC Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year after ranking top-3 on the team in five different categories, including being the only Bear to start all 31 matches. Sydney Karjala and Alicia Barbarito return in the setter position while Addison Vary and Booke Aeschliman are back in attacking roles. Transfers Morgan Blankenship (UVA-Wise), Bridey Potter (Flagler), and Avery Meide (Stony Brook) will look to give a veteran presence to a team that includes nine underclassman.

Last season the Bears finished with a 23-8 (14-4 SAC) record and advanced to their third consecutive NCAA Tournament and second consecutive SAC Championship game. The Bears went 13-1 at home, a new program best for home wins in a single season. 

Lenoir-Rhyne opens their season on Thursday, August 27, when they take on Texas Woman's University in the Seawolf Invitational, hosted by Alaska Anchorage. Following their game against TWU, the Bears will face Chico State, (RV) Alaska Anchorage, and No. 16 Alaska Fairbanks. The home and SAC opener for the Bears is on Friday, September 4th, vs. UVA Wise.

2026 SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
1. Anderson - 116 points (8 first-place votes)
2. Wingate - 109 points (3 first-place votes)
3. Lenoir-Rhyne - 101 points (1 first-place vote)
4. Carson-Newman - 97 points
5. UVA Wise - 71 points
6. Coker - 61 points
7. Tusculum - 55 points
8. Catawba - 52 points
9. Newberry - 42 points
10. Lincoln Memorial - 40 points
11. Mars Hill - 37 points
12. Emory & Henry - 11 points