MADISON – The Wisconsin volleyball team will begin another season as one of the top 10 in the country.
The Badgers were No. 6 in the 2026 AVCA preseason coaches poll, the organization announced Aug. 10.
The only Big Ten team ahead of Kelly Sheffield’s Badgers was Nebraska at No. 1. Other conference foes in the top 25 were No. 9 Purdue, No. 10 Penn State, No. 14 Minnesota, No. 16 Indiana, No. 20 USC and No. 25 Oregon.
Ranked nonconference opponents consist of No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Kentucky, No. 4 Pittsburgh, No. 5 Stanford, No. 7 Louisville, No. 8 Texas A&M and No. 17 Florida.
Wisconsin is coming off its fifth Final Four trip in a seven-year span. UW ended the 2025 season with a 28-5 record and No. 5 ranking in the final AVCA poll. The Badgers were No. 8 in last year’s preseason poll, which was down from No. 2 in the 2023 preseason poll and No. 3 in the 2024 preseason poll.
The sixth-ranked Badgers have 11 newcomers as they replace several key players such as Carter Booth and AVCA National Player of the Year finalist Mimi Colyer. Key additions included Florida transfer Jaela Auguste and one of the top recruiting classes in the country.
Full 2026 AVCA preseason coaches poll
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin volleyball ranked No. 6 in AVCA preseason coaches poll
Reporting by John Steppe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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By John Steppe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
