INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC) has revealed the results of the 2026 Volleyball Preseason Poll. The Malone University volleyball team was chosen to finish fourth in the East Division of the league.
 
Walsh University beat out Ashland University by one point, 44-43, to become East Division favorites in the G-MAC. The Cavaliers received eight first-place votes to the Eagles' five. Lake Erie College was third with 18 points followed by Malone (14 points) and Ursuline College (13 points). The North Division and South Division were also tight races at the top, but Hillsdale College and Cedarville University were voted as the preseason favorites in those divisions.
 
The Pioneers finished last season with a record of 6-21, but five of those wins came in G-MAC action and the team just missed out on the postseason. Malone had a 5-11 mark in conference action and four of those five wins came against teams in the East Division. This year, the Pioneers are under the direction of newly appointed head coach, Lauren Allaway.
 
Returning to the roster in 2026 are the top three kill artists from last season. Jaymes Gilbert (222 kills), Brianne Salinas (191 kills) and Hailey Conrad (147 kills) will all see time on the newly renovated Osborne Hall court. That trio also were the top blocking leaders from the program in 2025. Madalyn Coblentz recorded a team-high 213 digs and returns for her second season of competition as a defensive specialist and libero. Helaina Edgar is the returnee at the setter position for the Pioneers after she averaged 6.0 assists per set last season with a team-high 21 service aces as well. Along with returnees, Malone adds six freshmen to the roster to bolster the squad.
 
The first event for Malone volleyball is the Hall of Fame City Challenge at home on August 28-29. The Pioneers start their season against Edinboro University of Pennsylvania beginning at 12:15 P.M. and the action can be seen live on FloCollege.