WINTHROP, Mass. – Lasell University has been selected as the preseason favorite in the 2026 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll, as voted on by the league's 14 head coaches. The defending GNAC champion Lasers received nine first-place votes and totaled 190 points.

Emmanuel College placed second with five first-place votes and 177 points after completing an undefeated GNAC regular season in 2025.

Saint Joseph's College of Maine was selected third with 163 points and received one first-place vote. Led by ninth-year Head Coach Jon Roberts, the Monks enter the season seeking to build upon last year's success and contend for the GNAC Championship.

Saint Joseph's returns senior Greta Mackintosh (Plymouth, Mass.), who earned First Team All-GNAC honors last season. Mackintosh is coming off a breakout campaign in which she recorded 271 kills, 761 attacks, and 121 digs.

Senior Larisa Comolli (Nashua, N.H.) also returns as the Monks' leading returning blocker and figures to provide a strong defensive presence at the net.

Regis College (161) and Rivier University (144) completed the top five. Simmons University (124), Colby-Sawyer College (112), and New England College (98) occupied the next three spots and joined the top five as the projected GNAC Tournament field.

Albertus Magnus College (71), the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) (66), Dean College (52), Mitchell College (48), Elms College (45), and Norwich University (19) rounded out the poll.

The 2026 women's volleyball season begins with non-conference action on Tuesday, September 1, when 10 teams are scheduled to play their season openers. Conference competition begins the following day. Saint Joseph's opens its GNAC slate Saturday, September 12.

The top eight teams in the conference standings will qualify for the GNAC Tournament, beginning with the quarterfinals on Tuesday, November 10. The semifinals are scheduled for Thursday, November 12, followed by the GNAC Championship on Saturday, November 14. The conference champion will receive the GNAC's automatic berth in the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Tournament.

 

2026 GNAC Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll: