Creighton Volleyball Ranked 13th in AVCA Preseason Poll

OMAHA, Neb. -- The Creighton Volleyball team is ranked 13th in the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 Preseason Poll, which was released on Monday, Aug. 10. This is the 10th time in the past 11 seasons the Jays have been ranked in the preseason, and 15th straight campaign that Creighton has spent at least one week in the Top 25.

The Bluejays return three starters and nine letterwinners from a team that finished last year 28-6, won an unprecedented 12th straight regular-season BIG EAST title, and finished the season ranked 10th in the country. Over the previous 18 seasons, 333-of-450 teams (74.0 percent) have been in both the preseason and final polls. Since 2008, all but 42 teams (of 450) named in the preseason AVCA Top 25 poll would go on to reach the NCAA Tournament (90.7 percent).

Today's announcement marks the 12th time in the last 14 seasons that the Bluejays have earned a spot in the preseason poll. Today's No. 13 slotting ties its fourth-best preseason ranking in program history, trailing only its No. 9 selection prior to the 2017 campaign and its No. 12 preseason pick in both 2024 and 2025. The Jays were also 13th in 2018, when they finished the year 13th. 

Creighton is one of 15 schools to be ranked in every preseason Top 25 poll since 2022, a list featuring Baylor, BYU, Creighton, Florida, Kentucky, Louisville, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, USC, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin. Of note, Creighton is the nation's only program that was nationally-ranked in the preseason polls in 2023, 2024 and 2025 and improved its position in the year-end poll.

The Bluejays are one of 10 schools (along with Baylor, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, Pitt, Purdue, Stanford, Texas and Wisconsin) to have been ranked each of the last 79 polls. Creighton has been ranked in all but six of the past 148 times the AVCA has put out a Top 25 poll and 156 times in program history, which ranks 37th-most all-time. Creighton is 261-54 all-time when playing as a ranked team in the AVCA poll. 

The Jays finished last season ranked 10th in the country and are one of nine programs (Baylor, Creighton, Kentucky, Louisville, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Stanford and Texas) to be ranked in the year-end poll each of the past five seasons.

CU's all-time best ranking in program history is No. 5, which came four straight weeks in 2024 (Nov. 4, Nov. 11, Nov. 18, Nov. 25).

Creighton will play six non-conference matches against preseason Top 25 teams. The Bluejays face off against No. 1 Nebraska (Sept. 16), No. 7 Louisville (Sept. 12), No. 8 Texas A&M (Sept. 20), No. 9 Purdue (Aug. 28), No. 14 Minnesota (Aug. 29) and No. 20 USC (Aug. 30). Additionally, future foes Northern Iowa (35th; Sept. 11), Rice (37th; Sept. 13), Kansas State (38th; Sept. 18) and Arizona (40th; Sept. 4) as well as BIG EAST rivals Marquette (34th; Oct. 4 & Oct. 29) and Villanova (T-42nd; Oct. 16 and Nov. 15) are among those also receiving votes.

Creighton opens its exhibition season on Sunday when it hosts South Dakota at 1 p.m. inside D.J. Sokol Arena, then closes the preseason with an Aug. 22 match at No. 15  Kansas. CU opens the regular-season with three matches at the 2026 State Farm Women's Volleyball Showcase in Sioux Falls, S.D., with battles against No. 9 Purdue (Aug. 28), No. 14 Minnesota (Aug. 29) and No. 20 USC (Aug. 30).