ETSU volleyball picked No. 1 in the SoCon pre-season poll by the coaches

(WJHL) -- The East Tennessee State University Buccaneers are entering the upcoming season with high expectations after an impressive 2025 campaign, which saw them post a 23-7 overall record and a dominant 15-1 mark in SoCon play. With 2025 SoCon Player of the Year Makayla Bays returning at outside hitter, it comes as little surprise that ETSU has been selected as the preseason favorite.

The defending regular season champions picked up five first-place votes and 77 total points to take the top spot in the preseason poll. Wofford, who will be chasing a fourth consecutive SoCon tournament crown this fall, finished second behind the Bucs.

Bays, a Gate City native, represents ETSU on the preseason all-conference team. Her stellar 2025 season included leading the conference in service aces with 45 while finishing second overall in total kills with 443.