MARSHALL, Texas – Picking up where they left off last season, East Texas Baptist University comes into the 2026 season nationally ranked fourth by the American Volleyball Coaches Association. ETBU has now been ranked by the AVCA for 28 consecutive weeks and has been in the preseason poll for two consecutive years.
ETBU received 1,556 points for fourth place, with Berry University third at 1,600 points, Trinity (TX) second at 1,622 points, and Wisconsin Oshkosh the No. 1 team at 1,900 points. ETBU will see No. 2 Trinity in the first weekend of play in San Antonio and will open the season against Gustavus Adolphus, which is receiving votes. Other ranked teams ETBU will see are No. 4 Washington University-St. Louis, No. 21 Emory University, No. 19 Christopher Newport, and No. 23 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
Last year, ETBU finished fifth in the final poll and was the No. 1 team in the country for two polls, with the overall No.1 seed for the NCAA Tournament. They went 34-1, winning the program's first-ever NCAA Regional Tournament and playing in the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament. They also won their third consecutive American Southwest Conference Championship Tournament.
ETBU opens the 2026 season on Friday, September 4 in San Antonio, Texas, against Gustavus Adolphus at the Trinity University Tiger Classic.
Aug. 27 AVCA-Taraflex Division III WVB Preseason Poll
|
Rank
|
School (First-Place Votes Adjusted)
|
Total Points Adjusted
|
Record
|
Previous Week
|
|
1
|
Wisconsin-Oshkosh [76]
|
1,900
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
2
|
Trinity (Texas)
|
1,622
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
3
|
Berry
|
1,600
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
4
|
East Texas Baptist
|
1,556
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
5
|
Colby
|
1,453
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
6
|
La Verne
|
1,406
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
7
|
Wisconsin-Eau Claire
|
1,290
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
8
|
Illinois Wesleyan
|
1,215
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
9
|
Calvin
|
1,177
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
10
|
MIT
|
1,125
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
11
|
Johns Hopkins
|
1,102
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
12
|
Juniata
|
985
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
13
|
Tufts
|
902
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
14
|
Washington-St. Louis
|
842
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
15
|
Wesleyan (Conn.)
|
801
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
16
|
Wisconsin-Whitewater
|
781
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
17
|
Hope
|
765
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
18
|
Ithaca
|
740
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
19
|
Christopher Newport
|
603
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
20
|
Carnegie-Mellon
|
482
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
21
|
Emory
|
408
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
22
|
Batten (formerly Va. Wesleyan)
|
343
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
23
|
Claremont-Mudd-Scripps
|
307
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
24
|
Dubuque
|
216
|
0-0
|
NA
|
|
25
|
NYU
|
172
|
0-0
|
NA
|
Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots: St. Olaf 155; Babson 117; St. John Fisher 114; Gustavus Adolphus 112; Franklin & Marshall 54; Salisbury 45; Lawrence 35; Otterbein 34; Illinois College 32; Northwestern (Minn.) 31; Wittenberg 28; Lynchburg 27; Carthage 20; Kean 18; William Smith College 16; Cornell (Iowa) 13; Williams 11; Washington & Lee 10; Chicago 5; Transylvania 4
