Kentucky Slotted at No. 3 in AVCA Preseason Top 25 Coaches’ Poll
LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky Volleyball team was slotted in the No. 3 position for the 2026 season, the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association announced Monday in the initial release of the rankings for the coaches’ poll.
Kentucky received four first-place votes, the second most behind Nebraska, who was voted on as preseason No. 1. Texas, who finished second in the overall voting, had one first-place vote.
The Wildcats are scheduled to play teams ranked 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 17, 19 and 21 this season, including No. 4 Pittsburgh and No. 6 Wisconsin on opening weekend at the 2026 Jeep AVCA First Serve in Milwaukee. The Southeastern Conference placed five teams in the poll as Texas was voted on as No. 2, Kentucky at three, No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 17 Florida and No. 21 Tennessee.
In the non-conference schedule alone, Kentucky will play seven teams, all ranked inside the top 20 of the preseason poll published Monday including five top-10 teams from three different conferences.
Kentucky closes its exhibition schedule Friday at 6:30 p.m. ET when it plays Dayton inside Historic Memorial Coliseum. Admission is free and seating is first-come, first-served. The Wildcats open the regular season a week from Friday vs. No. 6 Wisconsin in Milwaukee at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN in the Jeep AVCA First Serve.
2026 AVCA Preseason Coaches’ Poll
- Nebraska (57)
- Texas (1)
- Kentucky (4)
- Pittsburgh
- Stanford
- Wisconsin
- Louisville
- Texas A&M (1)
- Purdue
- Penn State
- SMU
- Arizona State
- Creighton
- Minnesota
- Kansas
- Indiana
- Florida
- TCU
- North Carolina
- Southern Cal
- Baylor
- Tennessee
- Colorado
- BYU
- Oregon
RV: Miami (FL) 124; Iowa State 104; Georgia Tech 77; UCLA 61; Cal Poly 58; Utah 41; San Diego 34; Western Kentucky 33; Marquette 28; Northern Iowa 27; Dayton 22; Rice 14; Kansas State 10; Michigan State 10; Arizona 8; Illinois 7; Florida State 3; Villanova 3
For the latest on UK Volleyball, follow the Wildcats on Twitter and Instagram at @KentuckyVB.
