Skip Ad

Women's Volleyball

Washington and Lee Tops ODAC Women's Volleyball Poll

Generals Receive 11 First Place Votes, Lynchburg Nets Remaining Two

FOREST, Va. — Washington and Lee University was a near-unanimous selection by the league's head coaches as the Generals open the 2026 season atop the ODAC Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll.

WLU earned 11 first place votes – one short of the maximum number it could earn – on the way to a chart-topping 143 points. The University of Lynchburg garnered the remaining two top nods to power a 126-point haul, two clear of Batten University (124) for second place. Bridgewater College caps a top-heavy group of four programs with 116 markers ahead of a trio of squads – Randolph-Macon College (89), Shenandoah University (86), and Roanoke College (83) – that are separated by just six tallies.

The ODAC's ranks increase by one team to 13 squads with the return of Sweet Briar College's program to the conference fold. The Vixens resumed varsity play in 2025, ending the program's 15-year hiatus since last competing in 2010.

In the sections below, we look back to the 2025 season to set the tone for this year and then dive into some features of ODAC women's volleyball for the upcoming 2026 campaign.

2026 ODAC WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON POLL
(#) denotes first place votes received

1.Washington and Lee University (11)     143 pts.
2.University of Lynchburg (2)126 pts.
3.Batten University124 pts.
4.Bridgewater College116 pts.
5.Randolph-Macon College89 pts.
6.Shenandoah University86 pts.
7.Roanoke College83 pts.
8.Guilford College72 pts.
9.Randolph College52 pts.
10.EMU46 pts.
11.Averett University38 pts.
12.Hollins University27 pts.
13.Sweet Briar College12 pts.
    • Six of the ODAC's 12 competing squads finished with better than .500 winning percentages
      • That group combined to go 133-46 (.743) in overall matches
      • Batten (then Virginia Wesleyan) led the charge with school-records of 32 wins and a .914 winning percentage (32-3)
      • Both of those figures came up just shy of Washington and Lee's 2025 marks – 35-3 and .921 – towards conference records
    • Batten ran the ODAC table for the second time in three years, posting an 11-0 record to earn the top seed in the conference tournament
    • The eight-team bracket was filled out by Lynchburg, Bridgewater, WLU, Shenandoah, Guilford, Randolph-Macon, and Roanoke, sequentially
      • Quarterfinals: BATN def. RC, 3-0; WLU def. SU, 3-0; BC def. GC, 3-0; LYN def. RMC, 3-0
      • Semifinals: WLU def. BATN, 3-2; BC def. LYN, 3-2
      • Championship: WLU def. BC, 3-1
    • Washington and Lee won its third straight and conference-record 21st women's volleyball title
      • The Generals have appeared in five of the past six ODAC title matches, winning on each occasion; overall, WLU is 21-of-27 in championship matches
      • Bridgewater ended a long break in between championship match appearances, qualifying for the final event for the first time since 2007
      • The Eagles have appeared in 15 overall ODAC title matches with five trophies, the last coming in 2000
    • ODAC history was made last season with three teams earning a spot in the NCAA's 64-team Division III women's volleyball bracket
      • Washington and Lee entered as the the league's automatic qualifier as its champion
      • Batten (as Virginia Wesleyan) and Lynchburg joined the Generals at at-large entries via their respective rankings in the Division III women's volleyball NPI
      • Bridgewater nearly made it four schools in the field, but the Eagles' NPI ranking came up just short of the final spot
    • Batten was selected to host one of the three-round regional sites with WLU included in that eight-team setup
    • Lynchburg traveled to Baltimore for competition at Johns Hopkins University
      • First Round: BATN def. John Jay, 3-0; William Smith def. LYN, 3-2; Berry def. WLU, 3-0
      • Second Round: Berry def. BATN, 3-1
    • ODAC teams are now 22-39 (.361) in 39 total appearances in the Division III championship
      • Batten made its second straight appearance and now owns a 2-3 (.400) record in three total berths
      • Lynchburg made its inaugural appearance in the Division III field in 2025
      • Washington and Lee's record stands at 10-18 (.357) in 18 appearances including each of the past three seasons
        • WLU made a run to the quarterfinals in 2024, which marked a program-best finish and the second time in ODAC history (RMC in 2025) that a league team reached the quarterfinal round
    • AVCA/TARAFLEX Preseason Division III Women's Volleyball Poll
      • The AVCA released its annual preseason coaches poll on August 27
      • Three ODAC teams are among those under consideration for raking in the initial poll for the 2026 fall season
        • Batten begins the year ranked 22nd in the country after receiving 343 points
        • Both Lynchburg (27) and Washington and Lee (10) fell outside the top-25, but were two of 20 teams that received votes on at least two ballots during the process
      • Reigning national champion Wisconsin-Oshkosh opens the year No. 1 in the survey with 1,900 points, well out-pacing semifinalists Trinity University (Texas)(1,622) and Berry College (1,600) in the top-three

  • Last year, only nine All-ODAC stars returned to league rosters. The script is flipped for 2026 with 16-of-24 all-league standouts returning for another run at their respective schools. That list features six from the All-ODAC First Team, four from the All-ODAC Second Team, and six from the All-ODAC Third Team.

    Lynchburg leads the charge with all five All-ODAC Hornets back in the Hill City, each armed with NCAA tournament experience. Bridgewater head coach Erin Harris looks to lead the Eagles back to the ODAC championship match for a second straight year. Last year's berth was the program's first in the conference title clash since 2007. Batten also welcomes back three All-ODAC standouts including ODAC Player of the Year, outside Hannah Smith, and setter Niya Nash, who set the ODAC single-season record for assists (1,278). Smith set the conference mark for service aces (81) in a season.

    • ALL-ODAC FIRST TEAM (6-of-8)
      • Niya Nash, S, BATN
      • Hannah Smith, OH, BATN
      • Reagan Stoop, OH, BC
      • Kate Hardie, RS, LYN
      • Grace Mitchener, OH, WLU
      • Vivi Vasquez, L, WLU
    • ALL-ODAC SECOND TEAM (4-of-8)
      • Alexis Shaw, RS, BATN
      • Leah DiNardo, MB, LYN
      • Tori Williamson, OH, LYN
      • Hannah Hylton, OH, SU
    • ALL-ODAC THIRD TEAM (6-of-8)
      • Claire Griffith, OH, BC
      • Ana Meinhardt, MB, LYN
      • Alexis Scipione, S, LYN
      • Mia Goode, OH, RMC
      • Emma Catoe, MB, RC
      • Ashlynn Spence, MB/OPP, SU

  • The athletes listed below represent the top-three returning statistical leaders for each category from the 2025 season.
    Kills/Set, Digs/Set, Blocks/Set, and Points/Set Minimums: 50% of team games played
    Attack Pct. Minimums: 50% of team games played and 3.0 attacks/set
    * ODAC Single-Season Record (current scoring era, 2008-present)

     PLAYER #1PLAYER #2PLAYER #3
    Kills476Hannah Smith, BATN382Grace Mitchener, WLU350Kate Hardie, LYN
    Kills/Set3.98Grace Mitchener, WLU3.93Hannah Smith, BATN3.62Reagan Stoop, BC
    Attacks1,235Grace Mitchener, WLU1,151Hannah Smith, BATN898Reagan Stoop, BC
    Attack %.309Leah DiNardo, LYN.308Ava Meinhardt, LYN.297Alexis Shaw, BATN
    Assists1,278*Niya Nash, BATN862Jillian Mapes, GC742Alexis Scipione, LYN
    Assts/Set10.56Niya Nash, BATN9.17Jillian Mapes, GC7.68Sienna Nichoson, WLU
    Aces81*Hannah Smith, BATN57Kate Hardie, LYN51Niya Nash, BATN
    Aces/Set0.69Caroline Towle, RAND0.67Hannah Smith, BATN0.59Caitlin Smith, RMC
    Digs593Vivi Vasquez, WLU460Hannah Smith, BATN455Teagan Hubble, RC
    Digs/Set5.34Vivi Vasquez, WLU4.79Teagan Hubble, RC4.06Grace Mitchener, WLU
    Total Blocks97Ava Meinhardt, LYN77Alexis Shaw, BATN73Agnes Alford, BC
    Blocks/Set0.85Ava Meinhardt, LYN0.76Agnes Alford, BC0.73Ella Courtney, RMC
    Ashlynn Spence, SU
    Points582.5Hannah Smith, BATN434.5Grace Mitchener, WLU434.5Kate Hardie, LYN
    Points/Set4.81Hannah Smith, BATN4.53Grace Mitchener, WLU4.13Reagan Stoop, BC

  • Below are the win-loss records for each coach entering the 2026 season.

    COACHSCHOOLSEASON (AT SCHOOL)OVERALL (PCT.)AT SCHOOL (PCT.)
    Emma NashAverett2nd (2nd)6-19 (.240)6-19 (.240)
    Karissa CumberbatchBatten6th (6th)129-32 (.801)129-32 (.801)
    Erin HarrisBridgewater16th (16th)265-168 (.612)265-168 (.612)
    Casey SteinbrecherEastern Mennonite7th (7th)47-88 (.348)47-88 (.348)
    Chris MironGuilford18th (2nd)327-268 (.550)18-9 (.667)
    Dave McGeeHollins6th (6th)31-99 (.238)31-99 (.238)
    Kevin CardozaLynchburg3rd (3rd)45-17 (.726)45-17 (.726)
    Kara MatthewsRandolph13th (13th)125-190 (.397)125-190 (.397)
    Jack WilsonRandolph-Macon1st (1st)1st Season1st Season
    Blair TrailRoanoke28th (28th)434-332 (.567)434-332 (.567)
    Travis AbeleShenandoah2nd (2nd)13-11 (.542)13-11 (.542)
    AJ Escobar, Jr.Sweet Briar3rd (2nd)0-49 (.000)0-28 (.000)
    Bryan SnyderWashington and Lee29th (27th)714-240 (.748)673-215 (.758)
    • All of Division III kicks into gear on Tuesday, September 1 as the first allowable date of competition across the country
    • ODAC teams are very busy the first weekend of the year (9/4-5) with a series of conference multi-team matches and campus-hosted tournaments
    • The first six conference matches of the season are slated for Tuesday and Wednesday, September 15-16
    • The ODAC Tournament will feature an eight-team field competed in a traditional bracket format
      • Quarterfinals: Tuesday, November 10 at the #1-4 Seeds
      • Semifinals: Thursday, November 12 at the two higher seeds in bracket progression
      • Championship: Saturday, November 14 at the highest remaining seed
    • The Division III Women's Volleyball Championship bracket will be announced on NCAA.com on Monday, November 16
      • Regionals: Thursday-Saturday, November 19-21
      • Finals: Wednesday-Saturday, December 2-5 at UMPC Cooper Field House in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) and SportsPITTSBURGH serve as championship hosts.