JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. - East Tennessee State University's volleyball team was picked first in the Southern Conference 2026 Preseason Coaches Poll and Makayla Bays was selected to the Preseason All-Conference Team, the league announced Thursday.
The Buccaneers went 23-7 overall last season and 15-1 in conference play, which was the best conference record in program history, earning them the regular-season title.
The 2025 squad took multiple program records, including the best start to conference play in program history (13 matches), the longest conference win streak in program history (13 matches), and tied the program record for longest win streak (16 matches).
Bays, the 2025 SoCon Player of the Year and All-SoCon First Team member, was a preseason all-conference selection after her standout sophomore campaign. The Gate City, Va. native totaled 443 kills, 45 aces, 281 digs, and 33 total blocks.
The outside hitter was the league's Offensive Player of the Week twice last season and had five matches with over 20 kills and 14 matches with over 15 kills. Her 443 kills on the season were second in the conference, as her 45 service aces led the conference. In seven matches, she had three or more aces while reaching double-digit digs in 11 matches. She earned spots on two all-tournament teams during nonconference action and was named the MVP of the Hokie Classic.
Head coach Lindsey Devine was named the league's Coach of the Year for the second consecutive year and the fifth of her career at ETSU. In the 2025 season, she led her team to her fourth regular season title and the eighth in program history.
The team returns two 2025 All-SoCon Freshman Team selections in Bailey Gohlke and Sophie Davis. Also returning are Gianna Blair, Chloe Smith, Raegan Waller, Melanie Morris, Alex Kreutzmann, Zeynep Özer, Malia Brinkman, and Emma MacFerran. Ryan Jomo, Darby Felts, Phoenix Fogel, Karis Chatfield, and Kennedy Boatman will all begin their college
The Buccaneers received five first-place votes and 77 points overall in the poll. The reigning SoCon Tournament Champions, Wofford, received four first place voted and a total of 72 points.
2026 Southern Conference Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll
Place Team (1st Place Votes) Points
1 ETSU (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
For news and updates on ETSU Volleyball, follow the team on Instagram and X (@etsuvolleyball) or check back in on etsubucs.com
