NEW ORLEANS – The Sun Belt Conference Volleyball head coaches have voted James Madison and Arkansas State as the divisional favorites in the 2026 Preseason Coaches’ Poll, as the league also announced individual honors and its preseason All-Sun Belt team and awards.
Both the Dukes and Red Wolves advanced to the championship match in the 2025 tournament as Arkansas State won its league-leading seventh tournament title and the first since 2015. The Dukes totaled 95 points in the East Division to lead the way with 12 first-place votes as they were crowned the regular season champions last year for the second time since joining the league. In the West, Arkansas State also tallied 95 points and 12 first-place votes to lead the way. Georgia Southern was selected to finish second in the East Division with 84 points and the two remaining first-place votes. South Alabama tallied 79 points to rank second in the West Division as Southern Miss finished with 64 points to rank third as both the Jaguars and Golden Eagles picked up a single nod to finish atop the division.
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Reigning Sun Belt Player of the Year Kennedy Louisell from James Madison was selected as the 2026 Preseason Player of the Year. In the 2025 season, along with taking home Player of the Year honors, Louisell was the Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year and a First Team All-Conference selection. Following the season, she added AVCA Honorable Mention and All-Region honors, becoming the fourth JMU player in program history to be named an All-American. Louisell had a historic 2025 season, finishing fourth in the nation in kills (605) and kills per set (4.80). Both marks were also single-season program records for JMU in its Division I era, which spans back to 1986. She twice broke the single-match record for kills, recording 37 against Georgia State on Oct. 4 and 38 versus Georgia Southern on Oct. 25. A five-time Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week, Louisell also became the first player in program history to be named the AVCA National Player of the Week, doing so on Oct. 28 following her 38-kill, 20-dig performance against Georgia Southern. She had 13 matches with 20 or more kills, including her pair of 30-kill outings. Louisell finished with an attacking percentage of .301, hitting over .400 in eight, despite setting a school record with 1,436 attack attempts.
Georgia Southern’s Maddie Cugino was selected by as the 2026 Preseason Libero of the Year. A 2025 Third Team All-Sun Belt recipient and former Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week, Cugino made an immediate impact as a libero for the Eagles in her first season. The Columbus, Ohio, native led the team defensively with 485 digs (4.80 per set) and ranked second in the Sun Belt Conference in that category, while finishing 22nd nationally in digs per set. She tallied a career-high 36 digs on Oct. 10 at Troy and registered 25 matches of double-digit digs. Cugino record 20-plus digs in nine matches, adding 99 assists and 17 service aces in her first year in Statesboro.
Arkansas State’s Erin Madigan earned 2026 Preseason Setter of the Year honors after leading the Red Wolves to their first tournament title in ten years last season. A 2025 Third Team All-Sun Belt selection, Madigan recorded the most assists by a returning Sun Belt setter with a total of 741, averaging 6.28 per set. The Macomb, Mich., native accounted for 52 percent of the Red Wolves' assists in the 2025 campaign and played an instrumental role in the team holding the 67th spot nationally and a second place standing in conference. Madigan tallied seven double-doubles, the second-most by a Red Wolf last season, and was one of three players to record 10-plus digs in 10-or-more matches. The setter totaled 244 digs and ranked third on the team. She assisted the team to a .248 hitting percentage and 1,545 kills, with both marks standing inside the top 65 nationally and second in the Sun Belt.
Arkansas State led the way with three selections to the Preseason All-Sun Belt Team as Georgia Southern, James Madison and Southern Miss each added a pair of selections. Coastal Carolina, Marshall and South Alabama earned one selection.
The 2026 Sun Belt Volleyball Championship will take place November 19-22 in Foley, Ala., marking the 11th consecutive season the Foley Sports Tourism Complex hosts the event.
2026 Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Preseason Awards
Preseason Player of the Year:
Kennedy Louisell, James Madison (4th Yr., OH, Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Preseason Libero of the Year:
Maddie Cugino, Georgia Southern (3rd Yr., L, Columbus, Ohio)
Preseason Setter of the Year:
Erin Madigan, Arkansas State (4th Yr., S, Macomb, Mich.)
Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
Addison Collum, Arkansas State (3rd Yr., RS, Buena Park, Calif.)
Erin Madigan, Arkansas State (4th Yr., S, Macomb, Mich.)
Kaitlin Whitlock, Arkansas State (4th Yr., OH, San Antonio, Texas)
Anna Rita, Coastal Carolina (4th Yr., MB, Riga, Latvia)
Reagan Barth, Georgia Southern (4th Yr., OH, Lenexa, Kan.)
Maddie Cugino, Georgia Southern (3rd Yr., L, Columbus, Ohio)
Kennedy Louisell, James Madison (4th Yr., OH, Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Ayen Nhial, James Madison (3rd Yr., MB, Louisville, Ky.)
Emma Barnett, Marshall (2nd Yr., OH, Louisville, Ky.)
Cambria Gaier, South Alabama (2nd Yr., OH, Caledonia, Mich.)
Sadie McAda, Southern Miss (4th Yr., OH, Pleasanton, Texas)
Sunni Sheppard, Southern Miss (4th Yr., L, Brandon, Miss.)
2026 Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Preseason Poll
East Division
1. James Madison (12) - 95
2. Georgia Southern (2) - 84
3. Coastal Carolina - 68
4. App State - 52
5. Marshall - 44
6. Georgia State - 29
7. Old Dominion - 20
West Division
1. Arkansas State (12) - 95
2. South Alabama (1) - 79
3. Southern Miss (1) - 64
T4. Louisiana - 56
T4. Troy - 56
6. Louisiana Tech - 24
7. ULM - 18
(Parentheses indicate first-place votes)