RALEIGH, N.C. - The William Peace University women's volleyball team was selected seventh in the 2026 USA South Preseason Coaches Poll, released today by the conference.

The Pacers received 37 points in the preseason poll. Defending regular season champion Greensboro was selected as the preseason favorite with 79 points and seven first-place votes, while defending tournament champion Southern Virginia was picked second with 75 points and three first-place votes. Meredith rounded out the top three with 62 points.

Peace enters the 2026 season under first-year head coach Logan Bryant, a William Peace alum who served as an assistant coach with the Pacers during the 2025 season.

"I'm really excited for this season and for the opportunity to continue building on the culture that has made our program so special," Bryant said. "We have a group that is hungry to get better every day, and I'm looking forward to seeing how much we grow together throughout the season. Our goal is to compete for a championship, but more importantly, I want this team to embody Pacer Volleyball by playing for each other, embracing the process, and being better than we were the day before. If we continue to do those things, this group will prove to be something special!"

Among the key returners is Aaliyah Anderson, who recorded 185 kills, 50 blocks and a .211 hitting percentage across 74 sets before missing the latter portion of the 2025 season due to injury. Anderson averaged 2.50 kills per set and totaled 10 solo blocks. Gracie Payne also returns after leading the Pacers with 558 digs and averaging 5.07 digs per set while adding 36 service aces.

The Pacers also welcome several newcomers in 2026, including setter Emily Thompson, who will look to make an immediate impact and take on a significant role in the Peace offense.

Peace opens the regular season at home against Hollins on September 1 before traveling to Virginia Beach for the Marlin Invitational. The Pacers will face Batten and Rowan on September 4 before taking on St. Joseph's (Maine) and SUNY New Paltz on September 5.

The Pacers return home to host the annual Raleigh Invitational on September 11-12 at the Hermann Athletic Center before opening USA South play at Pfeiffer on September 17. The conference schedule also features Methodist, Brevard, N.C. Wesleyan, Southern Virginia, Salem, Meredith, Greensboro and Mary Baldwin before the USA South Tournament begins November 10.

View the full 2026 women's volleyball schedule here.

View the full 2026 USA South Volleyball Preseason Poll release here.

Below is the 2026 USA South Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll: