RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – The Great American Conference released its 2026 preseason volleyball coaches' poll on Tuesday morning, with the University of Arkansas at Monticello voted 12th overall heading into the season.

The Blossoms return to the court later this month under third-year head coach Arlicia Ortiz, riddled with newcomers and a new mindset. UAM concluded the 2025 season on the road at rival Southern Arkansas.

UAM earned 12 points in the preseason poll, placing them behind Northwestern Oklahoma State (24 points). Harding just edged out the preseason favorite spot, receiving 114 points and four of the 12 possible first-place votes. Oklahoma Baptist earned six first-place votes, claiming the No. 2 spot with 111 total points, followed by Ouachita Baptist in third (96 points), Southwestern Oklahoma State in fourth (94 points), and Arkansas Tech (86) rounded out the top five in fifth.

The 2026 Blossom roster and schedule have been released on uamsports.com. UAM will kick off the season on the road in Magnolia on August 27-29, followed by the home opener against Arkansas-Fort Smith on September 1st. UAM will kick off Great American Conference play on Sept. 8 inside Steelman Field House as they take on Harding University.

FANS! Don't think you can make it out to UAM home games this year? No worries! You can still watch and keep up with the live video feed and stats. All volleyball games will be live-streamed on the official UAM Sports YouTube page, and live stats can be found by clicking the "Live Stats" tab on the right side of the 2025 UAM Volleyball schedule.

#BlossomNation | #UAMVolleyball