Angelo State is predicted win a second consecutive LSC volleyball title according to the 2026 preseason poll, it was announced on Thursday (Aug. 20). ASU’s Madi Parrish, Texas Woman’s Alyssa Rojo and Lubbock Christian’s Camdyn Sears claimed preseason player of the year honors.
The preseason poll and preseason players of the year are voted on by LSC head coaches, sports information directors and media members.
ASU totaled 951 points and collected 41 of the possible 54 first-place votes. Head coach Chuck Waddington’s Rambelles went 26-8 overall and 15-2 in league play last season. They won their 12th LSC regular season championship, second straight and 12th overall LSC tournament title and reached the NCAA Division II South Central Regional final.
West Texas A&M, who has won a record 22 LSC regular season titles, is picked as the conference runner-up with 883 points and seven first-place votes. The Buffs went 23-8 overall and 14-3 in LSC play last season en route to an NCAA tournament berth.
Lubbock Christian, who shared the LSC regular season title with ASU last season, is predicted to finish in third place with 837 points and three first-place votes. The Lady Chaps went 25-8 overall and 15-2 in league play last season. LCU reached the conference tournament title game and advanced to the NCAA tournament.
UT Tyler is the fourth-place pick with 778 points. The Patriots went 17-12 overall and 12-5 last season.
St. Mary’s is the fifth-place selections with 698 points. The Rattlers, who went 15-13 overall and 12-5 in LSC action last year, picked up one first-place vote.
Texas Woman’s is picked to finish sixth with 691 points, followed by Oklahoma Christian (645 points), Texas A&M-Kingsville (585 points) and 2023 LSC regular season champion DBU (527 points) to round out what would be the potential nine qualifiers for the LSC tournament. TWU and DBU picked up one first-place vote each.
Midwestern State is predicted to finish 10th with 509 points. St. Edward’s (463 points) is the No. 11 spot, followed by UT Permian Basin (410 points), UT Dallas (347 points), Western New Mexico (287 points), Texas A&M International (210 points), 1998 LSC champion Cameron (172 points), 1993 LSC champion Eastern New Mexico (167 points) and Sul Ross State (74 points).
Parrish was named LSC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight year. The senior outside hitter from Saginaw, Texas led the league with 435 kills, averaging 3.72 per set. She also had 45 services aces and added 321 digs. Parrish is the reigning LSC Player of the Year, LSC Offensive Player of the Year and South Central Regional Player of the Year. She also claimed her second straight LSC Tournament Most Valuable Player award.
Rojo was named LSC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. The senior libero from Lewisville, Texas, had 622 digs with an LSC-best 5.60 per set. She also added 35 service aces. Rojo was the only player in the conference to have more than 40 digs in a match, and did so twice (49 and 42). She earned the title of LSC Newcomer of the Year.
Sears was named LSC Preseason Setter of the Year. The sophomore from Midland, Texas, led the league with 1,309 assists and a 10.56 per set average. She also added 385 digs and totaled 23 double doubles. Sears became the first player in LSC History to be voted Setter of the Year and Freshman of the Year.
Parrish and Sears were All-LSC First Team selections in 2025, while Rojo was a second team pick. Parrish was also a member of the LSC All-Academic Team. All three players earned All-American recognition from the American Volleyball Coaches Association.
Additionally, 53 players – including Parrish, Rojo and Sears – were named to the LSC Volleyball Preseason Players to Watch list. The student-athletes were nominated by their member institution.
Notes:
- The LSC volleyball season begins as early as Aug. 27. To see the league schedule, click here.
- All 18 LSC volleyball teams are eligible to win the regular season title and advance to the LSC and NCAA Division II postseason tournaments.
- The nine-team LSC Volleyball Championship will be Nov. 11-14 at the site of the No. 1 seed.
- The NCAA Division II Volleyball Championship is set for Dec. 3-5 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.
- All LSC volleyball regular season and tournament matches can be viewed live on FloCollege. Monthly, yearly and family subscriptions are available.
2026 LSC VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON POLL, AWARDS, PLAYERS TO WATCH
Preseason Poll
| Rank |
School |
1st |
Total |
| 1 |
Angelo State |
41 |
951 |
| 2 |
West Texas A&M |
7 |
883 |
| 3 |
Lubbock Christian |
3 |
837 |
| 4 |
UT Tyler |
|
778 |
| 5 |
St. Mary’s |
1 |
698 |
| 6 |
Texas Woman’s |
1 |
691 |
| 7 |
Oklahoma Christian |
|
645 |
| 8 |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
|
585 |
| 9 |
DBU |
1 |
527 |
| 10 |
Midwestern State |
|
509 |
| 11 |
St. Edward’s |
|
463 |
| 12 |
UT Permian Basin |
|
410 |
| 13 |
UT Dallas |
|
347 |
| 14 |
Western New Mexico |
|
287 |
| 15 |
Texas A&M International |
|
210 |
| 16 |
Cameron |
|
172 |
| 17 |
Eastern New Mexico |
|
167 |
| 18 |
Sul Ross State |
|
74 |
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Madi Parrish, OH, Sr., Angelo State
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Alyssa Rojo, L, Sr., Texas Woman’s
Preseason Setter of the Year
Camdyn Sears, S, So., Lubbock Christian
Players to Watch
Offensive
| Name |
School |
Pos. |
Cl. |
Major |
Hometown |
| Madi Parrish |
Angelo State |
OH |
Sr. |
Finance |
Saginaw, Texas |
| Maria Osorio |
Cameron |
RS |
Sr. |
Business |
Pereira, Calif. |
| Karly Wells |
DBU |
OH |
Sr. |
Business Admin. |
Fort Worth, Texas |
| Sophia Valdez |
Eastern New Mexico |
OH |
Sr. |
Biology |
Roswell, N.M. |
| Leigh Jespersen |
Lubbock Christian |
OH |
Jr. |
Ex. & Health Promotions |
Lorena, Texas |
| Isabella Dickens |
Midwestern State |
MH |
Sr. |
Pre-Physical Therapy |
Iowa Park, Texas |
| Chloe Jones |
Oklahoma Christian |
OH |
Jr. |
Nursing |
Waukee, Iowa |
| Kelli Fording |
St. Edward’s |
OH |
Sr. |
Marketing |
San Antonio, Texas |
| Laurene Robinson |
St. Mary's |
OH |
Gr. |
Computer Science |
Bedford, Texas |
| McKenzie Hart |
Sul Ross State |
MB |
Jr. |
Bio-Pre Med |
El Paso, Texas |
| Ece Ozdemir |
Texas A&M International |
OH |
Sr. |
Multidisciplinary Studies |
Antalya, Turkey |
| Natalee Rush |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
MB |
Sr. |
Criminology |
West Chicago, Illinois |
| Trinity Blackwood |
Texas Woman’s |
RS |
Sr. |
Psychology |
Wylie, Texas |
| Jane Burkhardt |
UT Dallas |
OH |
So. |
Public Policy & Political Economy |
Phoeniz, Ariz. |
| Makenna Grimes |
UT Permian Basin |
RS/OH |
So. |
Nursing |
Fort Worth, Texas |
| Autumn Perry |
UT Tyler |
OH |
Sr. |
Business Admin. |
Wylie, Texas |
| Skyler Massey |
West Texas A&M |
OH |
Fr. |
Mechanical Engineering |
Portales, N.M. |
| Brynlee Barris |
Western New Mexico |
MH |
Sr. |
Biology |
Winslow, Ariz. |
Defensive
| Name |
School |
Pos. |
Cl. |
Major |
Hometown |
| Krizia Perez |
Angelo State |
DS |
Sr. |
Health Science Prof. |
Laredo, Texas |
| Luana Lombardi |
Cameron |
MB |
Jr. |
Sports & Ex. Science |
Blumenau, Brazil |
| Aizlyn Dewberry |
DBU |
MB |
So. |
Education |
Wink, Texas |
| Amya Speller |
Eastern New Mexico |
MB |
Sr. |
Psychology |
Monument, Colo. |
| Ramsey Clark |
Lubbock Christian |
L |
Sr. |
Business and Marketing |
Midland, Texas |
| Jenna Redding |
Midwestern State |
DS |
Sr. |
Psychology |
Wichita Falls, Texas |
| Macey Nehring |
Oklahoma Christian |
DS |
So. |
Marketing & Sports Mngt. |
Ankeny, Iowa |
| Giselle Ojeda |
St. Edward’s |
L |
Jr. |
Biology |
San Antonio, Texas |
| Kaylee Cavazos |
St. Mary's |
UT |
Jr. |
Ex. & Sport Science |
San Antonio, Texas |
| Crystal Espinoza |
Sul Ross State |
DS |
Fr. |
Psychology |
El Paso, Texas |
| Kayle Rodarte |
Texas A&M International |
DS/L |
Jr. |
Nursing |
Copperas Cove, Texas |
| Natalee Rush |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
MB |
Sr. |
Criminology |
West Chicago, Illinois |
| Alyssa Rojo |
Texas Woman’s |
L |
Sr. |
Kinesiology |
Lewisville, Texas |
| Mari Hernandez |
UT Dallas |
L |
Sr. |
Criminology |
Frisco, Texas |
| Kyndall Torres |
UT Permian Basin |
L |
So. |
Petroleum Engineering |
Midland, Texas |
| Anna Arceneaux |
UT Tyler |
L |
So. |
Psychology |
San Antonio, Texas |
| Kaycee Cavanaugh |
West Texas A&M |
L/OH |
Jr. |
Sports & Ex. Science |
Troy, Texas |
| Daphne Posthumus |
Western New Mexico |
MH |
So. |
Biology |
Lelystad, Netherlands |
Setters
| Name |
School |
Pos. |
Cl. |
Major |
Hometown |
| Gabi Ashcraft |
Angelo State |
S |
Jr. |
Elementary Education |
Rockwall, Texas |
| Mavery Salisbury |
Cameron |
S |
So. |
Biology |
Willis Point, Texas |
| Zoe Gun |
DBU |
S |
Jr. |
Communication |
Istanbul, Turkey |
| Peyton Priddy |
Eastern New Mexico |
S |
Sr. |
Elementary Education |
Colorado Springs, Colo. |
| Camdyn Sears |
Lubbock Christian |
S |
So. |
Ex. & Sports Science |
Midland, Texas |
| Macy Scheer |
Midwestern State |
S |
Jr. |
Management |
Golden, Colo. |
| Summer van Meerveld |
Oklahoma Christian |
S |
So. |
Interior Architecture |
Murphy, Texas |
| Althea Morris |
St. Edward’s |
S |
Jr. |
Business Admin. |
Los Angeles, Calif. |
| Haleigh Wilk |
St. Mary's |
S |
Sr. |
Ex. & Sport Science |
Salado, Texas |
| Violeta Flores |
Sul Ross State |
S |
So. |
Education |
Fabens, Texas |
| Giulia Gainelli |
Texas A&M International |
S |
Jr. |
Business Admin. |
Verona, Italy |
| Alayna Guerrero |
Texas A&M-Kingsville |
S |
Sr. |
Kinesiology |
Red Oak, Texas |
| Lorena Gomez |
Texas Woman’s |
S |
Sr. |
Nursing |
Fort Worth, Texas |
| Abby Gentner |
UT Dallas |
S |
So. |
Mechanical Engineering |
Louisville, Ky. |
| Kierra Freeman |
UT Permian Basin |
S |
Jr. |
Nursing |
Goodyear, Ariz. |
| Riley Clinton |
UT Tyler |
S |
Jr. |
Sciene & Disorders |
Cedar Park, Texas |
| Casey Loewer |
West Texas A&M |
S |
So. |
Health Science |
Johnson City, Texas |
| Kiarra McDuffie |
Western New Mexico |
S |
So. |
Business |
Aubrey, Texas |