SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Samford senior outside hitter Ally Cordes was named preseason All-SoCon and the Bulldogs were picked to finish sixth in the coaches' preseason poll released by the league Thursday afternoon.

Last season, Cordes was second on the team and ranked fifth in the SoCon in kills with 370. She had a career-high 22 kills against Mercer on October 10^th, 2025.
ETSU was picked as the preseason favorite to win the league with 77 points and five first-place votes. Wofford came in second with 72 points and four first-place nods. Furman was picked third with 69 points and was given the last remaining first-place vote. UNCG was picked fourth with 50 points.

Chattanooga was selected fifth with 48 points. Samford was picked sixth in the poll with 46 points. Tennessee Tech was picked seventh (29 points), Western Carolina was picked eighth (28 points) and Mercer was picked ninth (22 points). Lastly, The Citadel was picked tenth (9 points).

Samford will host a pair of exhibition matches against Kennesaw State Saturday at 1 p.m. and against Montevallo Monday at 6:30 p.m., both at the Pete Hanna Center. The Bulldogs will open the 2026 season by visiting the Alabama Crimson Tide on Friday, Aug. 28, at 6 p.m. in the Foster Auditorium.
 
2026 Southern Conference Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. ESTU (5) 77
2. Wofford (4) 72
3. Furman (1) 69
4. UNCG 50
5. Chattanooga 48
6. Samford 46
7. Tennessee Tech 29
8. Western Carolina 28
9. Mercer 22
10. The Citadel 9
 
() denotes first-place votes

2026 Southern Conference Volleyball Preseason All-Conference Team
Makayla Bays, ETSU, OH
 
Tennyson Gorman, Furman, MB
 
Allie Sweet, UNCG, OH
 
Ally Cordes, Samford, OH
 
Katie Boney, Western Carolina, S
 
Bradley Brown, Wofford, MB
 
Laney Klika, Wofford, LIB
 
Chloe Smith, Wofford, OH
 
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