Women's Volleyball

UMBC Selected First in #AEVB Preseason Poll, Preseason All-Conference Released

BOSTON – UMBC was picked first in the 2026 America East Volleyball Preseason Poll and had a pair of players recognized as Preseason All-Conference, as announced by the league on Wednesday afternoon.
 
The Retrievers received all five possible first place votes for 25 total points, while Bryant earned the final first place vote and had 20 points overall. Binghamton took third in the poll with 16 points, followed closely by UAlbany (12), New Hampshire (11) and NJIT (6).
 
Eight players from four programs were named to the Preseason All-Conference team. UMBC, Bryant, Binghamton and New Hampshire each had a pair of honorees. Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Hannah Howard of UMBC was honored, along with Rookie of the Year Lucy Chertock.
 
Preseason Poll
Pl. School Pts. (1st)
1. UMBC 25 (5)
2. Bryant 20 (1)
3. Binghamton 16
4. UAlbany 12
5. New Hampshire 11
6. NJIT 6
 
Preseason All-Conference
OH Jalynn Brown (UMBC)
OH Lucy Chertock  (New Hampshire)
RS Maya Coblentz-Brown (Binghamton)
RS Viktoria Dimitrova (Binghamton)
MB Rachel Grier (New Hampshire)
DS/L Hannah Howard (UMBC)
S Madison Koeller (Bryant)
MB Brookelyn Talmadge (Bryant)
 
Need to Know:
  • Defending champion UMBC was selected first in the Preseason Poll after winning their fifth title in the past six seasons in 2025. The Retrievers return 13 players from last season’s roster, including first-team all-conference selections Jaylnn Brown and Hannah Howard.
  • Bryant was picked second in the preseason poll after earning a share of its first regular season title last year with a 7-3 conference record. The Bulldogs fell in the conference semifinals.
  • Binghamton was selected third with 16 points after going 6-3 in conference play last season.
  • UAlbany was picked fourth in the preseason poll after reaching the conference championship match each of the past two seasons.
  • 2024 champion New Hampshire was selected fifth, while NJIT rounded out the field.
  • 2025 marked the first time in league history that the top four seeds were separated by a single game. UMBC and Bryant both went 7-3 in conference action while Binghamton and UAlbany went 6-4.
 
The 2026 season begins on Friday, August 28 with four teams in action. Binghamton competes against both Bradley and Oakland on the road while NJIT travels to FDU, Bryant competes at Charlotte and New Hampshire welcomes New Haven. UMBC and UAlbany begin their seasons a day later as all six teams play on Aug. 29.
 
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.
 
- America East Conference – Where Champions Rise -