CANTON, Ga. - Trinity has been tabbed as the 2026 favorite for the Southern Athletic Association Volleyball title.
Trinity narrowly beat out Berry for the first position grabbing in five total first place votes for 69 points while Berry took four first place votes for 68 points. Southwestern tallied 58 points for third while Centre and Sewanee rounded out the top five with 46 and 43 points, respectively.
Voting was conducted among the SAA’s nine head coaches.
2026 VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON POLL RESULTS
1. Trinity - 69 (5)
2. Berry - 68 (4)
3. Southwestern - 58
4. Centre - 46
5. Sewanee - 43
6. Millsaps - 33
7. Rhodes - 32
8. Maryville - 30
9. Oglethorpe - 17
Trinity comes off a terrific season with a final four appearance under their belt. The team was picked as the 2025 favorite for the SAA title but were defeated by the Berry Vikings in the conference championship. The Vikings also went on a run in the NCAA tournament making their way to the final four after a five-peat of the SAA title.
The Tigers lose All-America Regan Whatley but retain Courtney Pope while Berry returns AVCA Freshman of the Year Ava Brovet and All-American Madie Whitehead.
Southwestern finished a the two-seed in 2025 with an impressive 11-3 conference record. The team held five all-conference athletes last season.
With two teams finishing nationally in the top four in 2025, the SAA continues to make a name for itself on the court.
The 2026 SAA Volleyball Championship is slated for November 12-14 in San Antonio, Texas, hosted by Trinity University.
For more information on all things SAA, visit the websites of any of the participating schools, or go to the SAA's home on the internet at
www.saa-sports.com. Be sure to stay up to date on all ofyour Southern Athletic Association news by following @SAA_Sports on Twitter (X) and @SAA_Sports on Instagram.