Sports
Volleyball Selected Second in BIG EAST; Bray and Ring Honored
The Golden Eagles are coming off a season in which they finished second in the BIG EAST and advanced to the regional semi-final of the NCAA tournament. MU went 25-9 overall in 2024 and received 85 points in the preseason coaches’ poll, 15 behind preseason favorite Creighton.
Bray has earned postseason All-BIG EAST honors in each of the previous three seasons and was unanimously selected in 2024 and 2025.
Bray is a two-time AVCA All-Region selection, who was second in kills last season with 273 for an average of 2.39 per frame while hitting .331 (273-75-592). The unanimous all-league selection led the league as she hit .431 in conference play, and her 96 blocks led the Golden Eagles on the defensive end.
Ring notched a .290 hitting average (244-61-611) with 2.62 kills per set and totaled 24 blocks on the season along with 57 digs. Ring was third among the Golden Eagles with 244 kills on the season. The junior also excelled in the classroom, earning BIG EAST All-Academic Team honors.
MU opens its first season under head coach Tom Mendoza on Saturday, Aug. 30 against Hawai’i in the Rainbow Wahine Volleyball Classic in Honolulu. First serve is slated to begin at midnight central time.
Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
(first-place votes)
- Creighton (10) 100
- Marquette (1) 85
- UConn 80
- St. John’s 79
- Villanova 63
- DePaul 53
- Xavier 47
- Seton Hall 31
- Butler 29
- Georgetown 27
- Providence 11
Preseason BIG EAST Volleyball Player of the Year: Ava Martin, Sr., OH, Creighton
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team^
McKenna Brand, So., L/DS, UConn
Doga Kutlu, Gr., S, UConn
Emma Werkmeister, Sr., OH, UConn
Jaya Johnson, So., RS/MB, Creighton
Ava Martin, Sr., OH, Creighton*
Kiara Reinhardt, Sr., MB, Creighton*
Hattie Bray, Sr., MB, Marquette*
Natalie Ring, Jr., OH, Marquette
Erin Jones, Sr., S/RS, St. John’s*
Lucrezia Lodi, Sr., OH, St. John’s
Rashanny Solano-Smith, Jr., L/DS, St. John’s
Abby Harrell, Jr., OH, Villanova
Campbell McKinnon, So., MB, Villanova
Margo Kemp, RS-So., MB, Xavier
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