University of North Carolina Ashville Athletics
Bulldogs Tabbed Fifth in Preseason Poll
08.19.2026 | Women's Volleyball
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – The Big South Conference released its preseason volleyball poll on Wednesday (Aug. 19), and the UNC Asheville volleyball team was picked to finish fifth in the conference after receiving 30 points.
Preseason Poll
| Rk - School (first-place votes) | Points |
| 1 - High Point (5) | 61 |
| 2 - Winthrop (3) | 58 |
| 3 - USC Upstate | 44 |
| 4 - Charleston Southern | 33 |
| 5 - UNC Asheville | 30 |
| 6 - Radford | 29 |
| 7 - Gardner-Webb | 19 |
| 8 - Presbyterian College | 14 |
Last season, Asheville entered the Big South Conference Tournament as the No. 4 seed after finishing 7-7 in conference play. The Bulldogs earned the No. 4 seed over No. 5 USC Upstate by sweeping the Spartans during the regular season, with both teams finishing 7-7 in conference play. Asheville faced Upstate in the quarterfinal round before advancing to the semifinals, where the Bulldogs upset No. 1 seed Winthrop to reach their first conference championship match since 2006. Asheville ultimately fell to High Point in the championship match. The Panthers went on to earn their 10th consecutive No. 1 preseason ranking entering the 2026 season.
Asheville begins the 2026 season Aug. 28-29, hosting the Bulldog Invitational in the Justice Center. The Bulldogs open the tournament on Friday against Montreat at 10 a.m. before facing Boise State at 6 p.m. Asheville will close out the tournament Saturday against Middle Tennessee State at 4 p.m.
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