COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Metropolitan State University of Denver leads the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference in the 2025 RMAC Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll, announced Tuesday, along with the Preseason All-RMAC Teams.

South Dakota Mines’ Hannah Benes and Colorado Mesa’s Kaitlyn Hall — the league’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, respectively — will return to the court for the 2025 season. The RMAC’s preseason team is determined by placing returning players in order of head coaches’ voting from the league’s 2024 All-RMAC Teams.

The Roadrunners nearly swept the Preseason Coaches’ Poll, collecting 194 out of the 196 possible points. Led by head coach Jenny Glenn, MSU  has won four consecutive regular-season titles, two of the last three RMAC Tournament crowns, and made 24 straight appearances in the NCAA Division II Volleyball Championship. The Roadrunners have some changes to their roster heading into 2025, as five 2024 All-RMAC honorees departed in the offseason. However, Glenn and the Roadrunners still boast three All-RMAC student-athletes in Annika Helf, Kryssa Moerman, and Alyssa Boyte.

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference 2025 Preseason Volleyball Coaches’ Poll
PL	Team	1sts	2nds	3rds	Points
1.	MSU Denver	13	-	1	194
2.	Colorado Mesa	2	11	1	183
3.	Colorado Christian	-	3	5	162
4.	South Dakota Mines	-	-	7	154
5.	CSU Pueblo				133
6.	Regis				117
7.	Westminster				105
8.	UCCS				104
9.	Adams State				95
	Colorado School of Mines	-	1	1	95
11.	Fort Lewis				59
12.	Western Colorado				57
13.	Chadron State				55
14.	New Mexico Highlands				37
15.	Black Hills State				25
Notes: Coaches were not permitted to vote for their team. 14 points for a 1st place vote, 13 for a 2nd, etc. 196 points maximum in volleyball

Colorado Mesa University secured the second spot in the RMAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, grabbing 183 points along with the two remaining first-place votes. Colorado Christian University, the 2024 RMAC Tournament runners-up, holds the No. 3 rank with 162 points. South Dakota Mines lands at No. 4 with 154 total points, while Colorado State University Pueblo closes out the top five with 133 points.

Regis University secures the No. 6 spot with 117 points, followed by Westminster University in seventh with 105 points. Close behind, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs claims eighth place with 104 points. Adams State University and Colorado School of Mines are tied for ninth, each earning 95 points.

Fort Lewis College (59), Western Colorado University (57), Chadron State College (55), New Mexico Highlands University (37), and Black Hills State University (25) round out the 2025 RMAC Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll, earning 11th-15th place, respectively.

Last season, Benes earned the Defensive Player of the Year award following the best season in program history. The Hardrockers finished the season with an 18-8 record, earning the No. 3 seed in the 2024 RMAC Volleyball Tournament. On the court, Benes led the conference in service aces (55, 0.54 per set) and digs (500, 4.90 per set). Benes was one of three players to earn multiple RMAC Defensive Player of the Week honors during the 2024 regular season.

Hall, who transferred to Colorado Mesa from CSU Pueblo, helped the ThunderWolves reach an overall record of 16-11, earning the fifth seed in the RMAC Volleyball Tournament. In her debut season for the Pack, Hall played in all 27 matches, totaling 274.5 points, 248 kills (.273), and 48 blocks.

The RMAC’s 15 volleyball teams are looking to finish 2025 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the host of the 2025 NCAA Division II Volleyball Championships. The championship sees the national semifinals played on Thursday, Dec. 11, followed by the national championship on Saturday, Dec. 13. Ticket information for the national championship will be available at NCAA.com at a later date.

All RMAC volleyball matches broadcast by its 15 full-member institutions and associate members will only be available for purchase via a single-game pass or a monthly or annual subscription. Revenue generated by the network will be redistributed to the league’s membership to enhance their programs.

A discounted annual subscription price will be available to students, faculty, and staff of each member institution throughout the year. Purchasing options and pricing for individual RMAC Championships will be announced closer to each event.

2025 Preseason All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference: Volleyball
Pos.	Player	School	Yr.	Hometown
OH	Annika Helf (1)	MSU Denver	Sr.	Emmendingen, Germany
DS/L	Hannah Benes (DPOY, 1)	South Dakota Mines	Sr.	Antioch, Ill.
MB	Braiziah Dixon (1)	Regis	Sr.	St. Paul, Minn.
MB	Nicole Martin (1)	UCCS	Jr.	Colorado Springs, Colo.
OH	Sadie Scoville (1)	Colorado Mesa	Sr.	Pleasant Grove, Utah
MB	Renee Phillips (2)	Colorado Christian	Sr.	Fresno, Calif.
MB	Kryssa Moerman (2)	MSU Denver	Jr.	Colorado Springs, Colo.
OPP	Kaitlyn Hall (FoTY, 2)	Colorado Mesa	R-So.	Colorado Springs, Colo.
MB	Alyssa Boyte (2)	MSU Denver	So.	Allen, Texas
MH	Mailei Myers (2)	Westminster	Sr.	West Jordan, Utah
OH	Payton Tompkins (2)	UCCS	So.	Dallas, Texas
LB	Allison Waller (H)	Colorado Mesa	Sr.	Loveland, Colo.
OH	Ivy Vindivich (H)	South Dakota Mines	Jr.	Puyallup, Wash.
LB	Chinaru Inoue (H)	CSU Pueblo	Jr.	Tenri, Japan
Symbols in parentheses are 2024 All-RMAC Recognitions: DPOY was the Defensive Player of the Year; FoTY was the Freshman of the Year; 1 -was a First Team All-RMAC selection; 2 - was a Second Team All-RMAC selection; H - was an Honorable Mention All-RMAC selection.

 

About the RMAC
The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, headquartered in Colorado Springs, is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 institutions located in Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, South Dakota, and Utah. The RMAC currently competes in 22 NCAA Division II sports and has earned 67 national championships and 53 national runners-up since 1992. Founded in 1909, the RMAC is the most historic athletic conference in the western United States and Division II.