Women's Volleyball | 8/18/2026 12:42:00 PM

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Gannon  volleyball team will open the 2026 season ranked among the nation's top 25 as the Golden Knights were selected No. 23 in the AVCA Division II Preseason Top 25 Poll.

Gannon received 205 points in the preseason rankings and opens the year in the same position it held in the final poll of the 2025 season.

The Golden Knights enter the 2026 season following another successful campaign that saw Gannon finish 27-8 overall and 13-1 in PSAC West action.

Gannon finished as the runner-up in the PSAC Tournament before capturing its second consecutive NCAA Division II Atlantic Regional championship and advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight for the ninth time in program history.

The Golden Knights closed the 2025 season ranked No. 23 in the final AVCA Division II Top 25 Poll. Gannon has now made 16 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and 22 overall while winning four Atlantic Regional championships in the last five seasons.

Head coach Matt Darling enters his 20th season leading the Golden Knights in 2026. During his first 19 seasons, Darling became the program's all-time wins leader with 459 and transformed Gannon into a perennial contender on the conference, regional and national levels.

Gannon was also recently selected as the preseason favorite in the PSAC West for the fourth consecutive season. The Golden Knights received seven first-place votes in the conference's preseason coaches poll.

Concordia-St. Paul holds the No. 1 spot in the AVCA preseason rankings, followed by Tampa at No. 2 and defending NCAA Division II national champion MSU Denver at No. 3. Point Loma and St. Cloud State round out the top five.

The Golden Knights will face an immediate challenge to open the 2026 campaign with a matchup against No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul during the opening weekend of the season.

The next AVCA Division II Top 25 Poll is scheduled to be released on Aug. 31.