LOCK HAVEN, Pa. --- The Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference announced their 2026 preseason volleyball coaches' poll on Thursday. Clarion was predicted to finish fourth in the PSAC West division this season.
 
Last season the Golden Eagles tied for fifth in the PSAC West division, one game out of the final playoff spot in the conference, with a 12-16 overall record and a 6-8 mark in PSAC play. While that team prominently featured a preponderance of freshmen and sophomores, the 2026 squad is a more veteran unit, featuring six players that started more than half of last year's matches, including the team's top four attackers a year ago in Raegan Stader, Claire Bickett, Finley Kearney and Natalie Karrick.
 
Clarion will kick off their season at home with the three-day Tony Banner Memorial Tournament, starting on Thursday, August 27 against Shippensburg and concluding on Saturday. After tournament appearances at Gannon and in West Virginia, conference play begins on Saturday, September 16 at Slippery Rock.
 
2026 PSAC Women's Volleyball Preseason Polls (# of first-place votes in parentheses)
 
Eastern Division
 
1. Shippensburg (5)
2. Shepherd (2)
3. East Stroudsburg (1)
4. Kutztown
5. West Chester
6. Lock Haven
7. Bloomsburg
8. Millersville
 
Western Division
 
1. Gannon (7)
2. IUP (1)
3. Pitt-Johnstown
4. Clarion
5. California
6. Seton Hill
7. Edinboro
8. Slippery Rock