Charleston Repeats as CAA Volleyball Favorite; Hofstra’s Braga Named Preseason Player of the Year
Dylan Smith
RICHMOND, Va. – Charleston repeated as the 2026 CAA Preseason Volleyball favorite, while Hofstra outside hitter
Beatriz Braga secured Preseason Player of the Year honors, as announced by the league on Wednesday. The CAA Preseason Volleyball poll and awards were voted on by the league’s 11 head coaches.
The Cougars picked up the top spot with five first-place votes and 95 points. Just four points separated Hofstra and Towson, seeing the Pride capture four first-place votes and 87 points, while the Tigers rounded out the top three with two top votes and 83 points. North Carolina A&T (67) edged reigning CAA Champion Campbell (65) for fourth place in the poll. Stony Brook proceeded the Camels in sixth, followed by Northeastern, William & Mary, and Elon. UNCW and Hampton rounded out the coaches’ poll.
Charleston welcomes back five of its six starters from the 2025 squad that look to build on their 18-10 overall record and a 12-4 mark in league play. Among those returning are a pair of Preseason All-CAA Team selections, sophomores
Jumana Martin and
Caroline Noonan. Reigning CAA Rookie of the Year Noonan was one of three conference players to log 100-plus blocks last season, posting 109 stuffs on the year. She also swung an efficient 34.2% on the attack and slammed down 298 kills. Martin was lethal on the backline after logging 575 total digs and averaging 5.13 per set, both good for the CAA lead and ranking ninth in the nation.
Hofstra’s Braga will look to lead the way on Long Island after becoming the first Hofstra player to earn the league’s top preseason honor since Laura Masciullo in 2019. The senior outside hitter averaged 3.92 kills per set last season and her game elevated in league action. Braga was one of four players to average over four kills per league set with a 4.19 mark. The Uberlândia, Brazil product also paced the conference with 4.67 points per set in CAA play to earn a First Team nod last season. The Pride, which finished 22-4 last season with a 13-3 conference record, will also turn to Preseason All-CAA Team member
Constanza Perez Sain in the 2026 campaign. The junior right-side hitter is looking to build off her 207 kills, 76 blocks and 31 service aces from last season.
Towson, which rounded out the league’s preseason top three following a 21-7 overall mark last season, will look to get back on top of the conference after winning four straight conference championships from 2019-22. Middle blocker
Malinah Purcell-Telefoni earned a Preseason All-CAA Team honor following an impressive freshman campaign with the Tigers, highlighted by a league-leading 117 total blocks. Her 1.04 stuffs per set also finished third in the conference.
The conference will continue to see high-level performances across the league from its remaining Preseason All-CAA selections: Stony Brook’s
Quinn Anderson, William & Mary’s
Katherine Arnason, Campbell’s
Hayley Heyvelt, Northeastern’s
Emma Rowell and two-time All-CAA First Team selection, North Carolina A&T’s
Tyne Ross. The Aggies’ outside hitter paced the conference with 457 total kills, averaging 4.39 per set.
The 2026 Volleyball season begins on Friday, August 28, with eight of the league’s 11 teams seeing action on opening night. The CAA Volleyball Championship will welcome the top six teams to Gore Arena in Buies Creek, N.C., on November 19-21.
2026 CAA VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON POLL AND AWARDS
| Team (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| Charleston (5) |
95 |
| Hofstra (4) |
87 |
| Towson (2) |
83 |
| North Carolina A&T |
67 |
| Campbell |
65 |
| Stony Brook |
55 |
| Northeastern |
46 |
| William & Mary |
35 |
| Elon |
34 |
| UNCW |
28 |
| Hampton |
10 |
CAA Preseason Player of the Year
Beatriz Braga, Hofstra
Preseason All-CAA Team
| Player |
Team |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Quinn Anderson |
Stony Brook |
OH |
Jr. |
Westborough, Mass. |
| Katherine Arnason |
William & Mary |
RS |
Sr. |
Marine on St. Croix, Minn. |
| Beatriz Braga |
Hofstra |
OH |
Sr. |
Uberlândia, Brazil |
| Hailey Heyvelt |
Campbell |
MB |
Jr. |
Vancouver, Wash. |
| Jumana Martin |
Charleston |
DS |
So. |
Fort Mill, S.C. |
| Caroline Noonan |
Charleston |
MB |
So. |
Charlotte, N.C. |
| Constanza Perez Sain |
Hofstra |
RS |
Jr. |
Santa Lucía, San Juan, Argentina |
| Malinah Purcell-Telefoni |
Towson |
MB/RS |
So. |
Pago Pago, American Samoa |
| Tyne Ross |
North Carolina A&T |
OH |
Jr. |
Cameron, N.C. |
| Emma Rowell |
Northeastern |
S/RS |
So. |
Torrance, Calif. |
Honorable Mentions: Beatrice Gennari, MB, Northeastern; Avery Horejsi, DS/L, William & Mary; Maddie Lambers, MB, Campbell; Emma McCartney, OH, Campbell; Taylor Pagan, OH, Towson; Catherine Rucker, MB, Elon; Ella Sanders, OH, Stony Brook; Gabby Tuiaana, RS, Charleston; Zariah Winton, OH, North Carolina A&T