Volleyball Ranked Fifth in GAC Preseason Coaches Poll
RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Following a record-setting 2024 season, East Central University Volleyball has earned its highest preseason ranking in program history, coming in at No. 5 in the 2025 Great American Conference Preseason Coaches Poll, as announced Thursday by the league office.
The Tigers received 75 points in the poll, marking their highest placement since they first reached the No. 5 spot in 2012. The recognition comes on the heels of a historic campaign last fall, during which ECU tallied a program-best 18 wins and earned the No. 3 seed in the GAC Tournament for their best tournament positioning since 2013.
Ouachita Baptist, the reigning GAC Tournament champions, was selected as the preseason favorite, receiving six first-place votes and 108 points. Harding followed in second with three first-place votes, while Oklahoma Baptist claimed third with one first-place nod. Southwestern Oklahoma State landed fourth with two first-place votes, just ahead of ECU. Henderson State, Southeastern, Southern Nazarene, and Arkansas Tech rounded out the middle of the pack in sixth through ninth. Northwestern Oklahoma State, Southern Arkansas, and Arkansas-Monticello closed out the poll.
ECU will open the 2025 season on the road at the Dallas Classic Tournament, hosted by Dallas Baptist University, as the Tigers look to build on last year's momentum and continue raising the bar for the program.
The Tigers will return to Ada for their home opener and GAC debut on Tuesday, Sept. 16, hosting Northwestern Oklahoma State at 6 p.m. inside the Kerr Activities Center.
