MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Xavier volleyball team cracked the top 5 in its inaugural Southern States Athletic Conference preseason poll. 

Xavier, which went 20-10 with a 7-3 mark in the Red River Athletic Conference in 2025, got 91 total points from the SSAC head volleyball coaches. In-city rival Loyola edged out Mobile for the top spot in the poll, with WIlliam Carey and Blue Mountain Christian taking third and fourth, respectively. 

2026 SSAC Preseason Poll
1. Loyola - 134 (7)
2. Mobile - 131 (3)
3. William Carey - 124 (1)
4. Blue Mountain - 101
5. Xavier - 91
6. UT Southern - 78
7. Life - 72 (1)
7. Point - 72
9. Faulkner - 52
10. Brewton-Parker - 43
11. Andrew - 21
12. Wesleyan - 17

All 12 SSAC teams will qualify for the 2026 championship, set for Nov. 12-14 at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala. The winners of the four pools will move to single-elimination bracket play.

The Gold Nuggets begin play Aug. 28 with a visit to Nebraska for the Bellevue Bruin Classic. Their home opener will be Sept. 4 against Louisiana Christian on Day 1 of the Big Easy Blastoff. Many regular season and all SSAC Championship matches will be streamed live for free on the Urban Edge Network: