FRISCO, Texas – Houston Christian was voted to the top spot in the Southland Conference Volleyball preseason poll, the conference announced on Friday afternoon.
 
Led by 2022 Southland Conference Coach of the Year, Trent Herman, Houston Christian (120) earned eight first-place votes in the 2023 preseason poll. HCU places five players on the preseason all-conference teams including 2022 Newcomer of the Year, Grace McLaughlin.

After claiming the conference tournament championship in 2022, Southeastern (118) comes in second in the preseason poll with eight first-place votes. The Lions place three players on the preseason all-conference teams, including the SLC Tournament MVP Kailin Newsome.

Accounting for a pair of spots on the preseason all-conference first team, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (96) was voted the third place spot, followed by McNeese (93) in fourth. Northwestern State rounded out the top five with 82 points.
 
UIW (58), Texas A&M-Commerce (55), and New Orleans (53) come in at six, seven, and eight, while Nicholls (23) and Lamar (22) closed out the poll. 
 
The season begins Friday, Aug. 25, with all ten squads in action, and conference play opens Thursday, Sept. 21. The 2023 Southland Conference Volleyball Championship will be held Nov. 16-19 in Corpus Christi, Texas.

The Southland Conference preseason poll is voted on by each head coach and volleyball sports information director. Each voter ranks their predicted order of regular season finish, not including their own team.

2023 Southland Soccer Preseason Poll