BOSTON – Defending champion New Hampshire claimed the top spot in the 2025 #AEVB Preseason Poll and had two players named Preseason All-Conference as announced by the conference on Thursday afternoon.
 
The Wildcats received 25 points and all five possible first place votes following their seventh program title, and first since 2016 during the 2024 season. 2024 #AEVB runner-up UAlbany was tied in second with UMBC at 18 points apiece, while Bryant was close behind with 13 points. Binghamton (11) was fifth, followed by NJIT (5) in sixth.
 
New Hampshire’s Meredith Hohnbaum was named Preseason All-Conference as she returns for her senior season following an impressive run in last year’s Championship, as well as teammate Rachel Grier. UAlbany had a pair named Preseason All-Conference as well, 2024 Rookie of the Year Maria Olga Siapani, and First-Team All-Conference selection Synelle Woroniuk. Binghamton’s Viktoria Dimitrova and UMBC’s Hannah Dobbs both were selected Preseason All-Conference after making the 2024 America East All-Rookie Team. Two-time First-Team honoree Arianna Ugolini of Bryant was also honored.
 
Women’s Preseason Poll
Pl.         School                           Pts. (1^st)
1.          New Hampshire                  25 (5)
T2.        UMBC                                 18 (1)
T2.        UAlbany                              18
4.          Bryant                                  13
5.          Binghamton                         11
6.          NJIT                                       5
 
Preseason All-Conference
RS        Viktoria Dimitrova (Binghamton)
OH        Hannah Dobbs (UMBC)
MB        Rachel Grier (New Hampshire)
RS        Meredith Hohnbaum (New Hampshire)
S           Maria Olga Siapani (UAlbany)
OH        Arianna Ugolini (Bryant)
OH        Shynelle Woroniuk (UAlbany)

Need to Know:

• New Hampshire won its first conference championship since 2016, taking down UAlbany 3-1. This was the first Championship for Head Coach Christopher Feliciano. The Wildcats went 18-10 last year, including 7-3 in conference play.
• Meredith Hohnbaum and Rachel Grier highlight a strong group of returners for UNH, including libero Avery LaPore as well as settlers Jessica Shattles and Ellery Singleton, who combined to average over 10 asssists per game.
• UMBC tied with UAlbany for second after receiving one first place vote. The Retrievers finished 6-4 in conference play before falling to New Hampshire in the semifinals. UMBC won four straight conference crowns from 2020-2023.
• UAlbany received 18 points after upsetting No. 1 seed in last year’s semifinal match to reach the America East Championship for the first time since 2021. The Great Danes welcome five newcomers alongside Rookie of the Year, Maria Olga Siapani.
• Bryant was picked fourth in the poll for the second straight year. The Bulldogs missed the tournament in 2024 but earned the No. 4 seed in 2023.
• Arianna Ugolini is a two-time First-Team All-Conference selection. She returns to Bryant after leading the conference in aces (41), ranking fourth in points (379.5), and ranking fifth in kills (326).
• Binghamton was picked fifth after securing their second America East regular-season title in three years in 2024. The team finished 8-2 in conference play and will have 11 newcomers in the upcoming season.

The 2025 season begins on Friday, August 29^th with all six teams in action. NJIT faces Boston College, UAlbany travels to Ohio to play Saint Francis and Toledo. Bryant and UMBC hit the road against Duke and Kansas State. New Hampshire hosts Holy Cross and Binghamton takes on Fordham.
 
Fans will once again be able to watch nearly every #AEVB contest this season. Select games will air on The AE on ESPN while others will air on AmericaEast.TV. Those games will be available on computers, OTT devices and the America East app, which is available on all IOS and Android devices and can be found by searching ‘America East Conference’ in app stores.
 
About the America East:
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference and its social media channels, @AmericaEast.