HARROGATE, TN - Lincoln Memorial University has been voted No. 1 in the seven-team 2026 Intercollegiate Volleyball Association (IVA) preseason poll, the league announced. The Railsplitters top a field that includes Barry, Tusculum, Merrimack, Catawba, P.R. Río Piedras, and Newberry.
LMU also led the way on the preseason all-conference lists, placing three First-Team selections and one Second-Team pick. Johan Negron, Axel van Baars, and Relja Milosavljević earned First-Team honors, while Zadyn LaBreche was named to the Second Team. The quartet headlines a deep group as the Railsplitters aim to build on last year's 24–1 finish and extend the program's streak of seven consecutive IVA championships.
The Railsplitters open with a home-heavy January at Mary Mars Gymnasium before a nationally competitive stretch highlighted by a two-match road set at Ohio State, a neutral-site weekend in Cambridge against BYU and Merrimack, and a late-February West Coast trip to CSUN, UC Santa Barbara, and Pepperdine. With LMU slotted first in the poll ahead of Barry (2), Tusculum (3), Merrimack (4), Catawba (5), P.R. Río Piedras (6), and Newberry (7), the preseason outlook sets the stage for another title chase in 2026.
2026 IVA Men's Volleyball Preseason Poll
1. Lincoln Memorial
2. Barry
3. Tusculum
4. Merrimack
5. Catawba
6. P.R. Rio Piedras
7. Newberry
2026 IVA Men's Volleyball Preseason All-Conference
First Team
Johan Negron, Lincoln Memorial
Axel van Baars, Lincoln Memorial
Relja Milosavljevic, Lincoln Memorial
Bobby Clapp, Barry
Jeremy Ferreira, Barry
Morgan Makovec, Tusculum
Aiden Roper, Tusculum
Reece Lindstrom, Merrimack
Kyle Standage, Merrimack
Justin Arrowood, Catawba
John Cordray, Catawba
Adrian Rivera, P.R. Rio Piedras
Lucas Nieves, Newberry
Second Team
Zadyn LaBreche, Lincoln Memorial
Philip Tien, Barry
Joao Piazza Baumgartem, Barry
William Phinizy, Barry
Riley Wisniakowski, Tusculum
Adam Svendsen, Tusculum
Kristian Smith, Catawba
Max Adkisson, Catawba
Luke Ramirez, P.R. Rio Piedras
Leonardo Lopez, P.R. Rio Piedras
Julian Rivera, P.R. Rio Piedras
Preston Anderson, Newberry
Tibulo Smith, Newberry
