BUENA VISTA, Va - While the move to 2026 leaves behind the year of Southern Virginia University's first ever NCAA Division lll Championship, it remains fresh in the minds of the men's volleyball team who enter their title defense season highly ranked in several preseason polls.

The Continental Volleyball Conference (CVC) released its annual preseason coaches poll on Tuesday morning, with Southern Virginia headlining the poll as favorites to win a third straight title, claiming five of a possible seven first-place votes.

It's the third consecutive season that the Knights have finished at the top of the poll; they fulfilled the last two polls by winning consecutive conference titles for the first time in program history. 

Perennial conference power Juniata ranks second with two first-place votes and Rutgers-Newark is third with the final top vote.

On the national level, the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) released its own preseason poll on Monday afternoon and the CVC was once again well-represented. After claiming the 2025 Division lll championship, Southern Virginia lands at No. 4, the third consecutive season they start in the top five.

The Knights held the top spot in the national poll for the first two weeks of the 2025 season. With a largely new starting roster, they'll look to prove their worth towards the top of the rankings. Springfield starts the season at the top with Juniata just ahead of the Knights in third.

Southern Virginia's first official match is on January 17th against Mount Aloysius College.

For the most up-to-date information and details on Southern Virginia University men's volleyball, visit knightathletics.com and follow @knightmvolleyball on Instagram.