By: Nash Loibl, Director of Strategic Communications and Internal Operations

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of Colorado Colorado Springs sits atop the 2026 Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll, the conference announced Tuesday, earning the title of preseason favorites.
 

Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference 2026 Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
PL	Team	1sts	2nds	3rds	Points
1.	UCCS	8	4	1	187
2.	Colorado Mesa	1	5	3	169
T3.	Colorado School of Mines	2	3	4	165
	MSU Denver	4	2	2	165
5.	CSU Pueblo		1	4	155
6.	Colorado Christian			1	125
7.	Fort Lewis				112
8.	South Dakota Mines				107
9.	Westminster				83
10.	Regis				67
11.	Adams State				62
12.	New Mexico Highlands				52
13.	Western Colorado				44
14.	Black Hills State				43
15.	Chadron State				38
Notes: Head coaches were not permitted to vote for their team. 14 points for a 1st-place vote, 13 for 2nd, etc. 196 points maximum in volleyball

The league also announced its 2026 Preseason All-RMAC Volleyball Team with 14 student-athletes earning recognition. Again this season, the RMAC’s preseason teams are determined by placing returning players in order of head coaches’ voting from the league’s 2025 All-RMAC Teams.

UCCS claimed the No. 1 spot in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll with 187 points, earning eight first-place votes, four seconds, and one third. The Mountain Lions are coming off a historic season that culminated in a share of the RMAC Regular Season Championship, marking the first regular season championship in program history, an appearance in the 2025 RMAC Championship game as the No. 2 overall seed, and a berth in the 2025 NCAA Division II Volleyball Tournament. Reigning RMAC Coach of the Year Tara Hittle returns to lead the Mountain Lions, while four student-athletes represent UCCS on the 2026 Preseason All-RMAC Roster, the most of any institution.

Colorado Mesa University checks in at No. 2 in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll with 169 points. The Mavericks enter the new season following a successful 2025 campaign in which they earned the No. 5 seed in the RMAC Championship and advanced to the semifinal round before receiving an at-large bid to the 2025 NCAA Division II Volleyball Tournament. Colorado Mesa is represented by three student-athletes on the 2026 Preseason All-RMAC Roster, the second most of any school.

Colorado School of Mines and Metropolitan State University of Denver are tied for the third spot in the Coaches’ Poll, with both programs earning 165 points.

The Orediggers earned the No. 4 seed in the 2025 RMAC Championship after posting a 20-6 record during the regular season. Following a quarterfinal loss in the conference championship, Colorado School of Mines advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament, defeating UCCS along the way. The Orediggers are represented by one student-athlete on the 2026 Preseason All-RMAC Roster.

MSU Denver enters the 2026 season with some new hardware in its trophy case as the defending national champions. The Roadrunners built momentum throughout the 2025 season, finishing the regular season with a 23-3 record and a 13-1 mark in RMAC play. MSU Denver lost just one set during the RMAC Championship before advancing through the NCAA Division II Tournament and defeating Concordia St. Paul, 3-1, to capture the national title. The Roadrunners are now under the stewardship of Stacie Meisner and are represented by two student-athletes on the 2026 Preseason All-RMAC Roster.

Colorado State University Pueblo rounds out the top five with 155 points, while Colorado Christian University, Fort Lewis College, South Dakota Mines, Westminster University, and Regis University round out spots six through 10 with 125, 112, 107, 83, and 67 points, respectively.

Adams State University (62), New Mexico Highlands University (52), Western Colorado University (44), Black Hills State University (43), and Chadron State College (38) close out the remaining spots in the 2026 Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

The 14-member preseason team features 10 student-athletes who earned First- or Second-Team All-RMAC honors last season. Five returning First-Team All-RMAC selections headline the 2026 Preseason All-RMAC squad, joined by five returning Second-Team All-RMAC honorees.

All RMAC volleyball matches will be broadcast on the RMAC Network, with annual, monthly, and single-game passes available for purchase.

The second RMAC Network “Peak Pricing” sale is available until August 26. During the sale, fans can purchase an All-Access Pass for $120 by using the code RMACELEVATE26 at checkout. In addition, fans can purchase a $25 Monthly Pass that provides the same access as the All-Access Pass. Single-game passes are available for $12.50 and grant access to a single game or event for 24 hours.

Additionally, a discounted annual subscription price will be available to students, faculty, and staff of each member institution throughout the year. Those fans can use their institutional email address with the code Y27-RMACEDU at any time during the 2026-27 season.
 

2026 Preseason All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference: Volleyball
Pos.	Player	School	Yr.	Hometown
DS/L	Mia Accomazzo	MSU Denver	Jr.	Litchfield Park, Ariz.
MB	Aesha Alrashed	Colorado Mesa	5th	Greeley, Colo.
DS	Alyx Daugherty (2)	Fort Lewis	So.	Mesa, Ariz.
OH	Brooke Gennerman (2)	MSU Denver	So.	Monument, Colo.
OH	Lexi Glendenning (1)	South Dakota Mines	So.	Parker, Colo.
MB	Nicole Himebauch (1)	UCCS	Sr.	Colorado Springs, Colo.
MB	Sydney Hyde (2)	UCCS	So.	Meridian, Colo.
OPP	Henley Madsen (2)	Colorado Mesa	So.	Park City, Utah
MB	Jenna McLaughlin (1)	Colorado School of Mines	Jr.	Zanesville, Ohio
OH	Alina Nunez	Fort Lewis	Sr.	Tucson, Ariz.
S	Elena Stankovic (SotY, 1)	CSU Pueblo	Sr.	Cajetina, Serbia
S	Ashlyn Tafoya (2)	Colorado Mesa	So.	Loveland, Colo.
OH	Payton Tompkins (1)	UCCS	Jr.	Dallas, Texas
OH	Sydnee Walker	UCCS	Sr.	Kailua, Hawaii
Symbols in parentheses are 2025 All-RMAC Recognitions: SotY – was the Setter of the Year; 1 -was a First Team All-RMAC selection; 2 - was a Second Team All-RMAC selection.

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