The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) has revealed its NCAA Division III Preseason Poll and the New York University women's volleyball team is included.

Coming off a season in which the Violets posted a 19-12 record and earned an NCAA Tournament bid for the fifth consecutive year, NYU is ranked #25 heading into the 2026 season.

"The team is working extremely hard in the preseason at the little details and in our identity moving into the start of the season," said Head Coach Andrew Brown. "We are excited about the preseason rankings, but are hungry to go out there and earn our results."  

Now in his ninth season at NYU, Brown's Violets return several starters from last year's squad. Among that pack will be co-captains Grace Nelson and Coco Barton.   

Nelson led the team with 272 kills and 62 service aces last year on her way to being selected as an AVCA Honorable Mention All-American. Barton, who started all 31 matches for the Violets and finished third on the team in hitting percentage (.290), was a University Athletic Association (UAA) Second Team honoree. 

Also returning is another All-UAA Second Team selection, Ava Launsbach, who led the team in assists (682) and digs (235). 

"This is a great group of veteran and new players that are coming together really quickly," Brown added. "Lastly, the addition of (assistant coach) Angel Agu will make an instant impact on our team's overall competitiveness and recruiting landscape."

The Violets open their season on Tuesday, September 1, when they host Ramapo College at 7:00pm at the John A. Paulson Center in Manhattan.