LAS VEGAS – The Mountain West announced the 2026 women’s volleyball predicted order of finish, preseason team and preseason player of the year as voted on by the league’s 10 head coaches.
The 2026 season ushers in a new era of Mountain West volleyball with the additions of Hawai‘i, UC Davis and UTEP. The league enters the season with strong momentum, as four current members finished 2025 ranked among the top 100 in the NCAA RPI.
Mountain West newcomer UTEP is favored to win the 2026 MW regular-season title with four first-place votes and a total of 84 points. Under the direction of Benjamin Wallis, the Miners finished the 2025 season 25-5 overall and earned CUSA’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Fellow newcomer UC Davis was picked to finish second with four first-place votes and 80 points. Grand Canyon collected the final two first-place votes and 70 points to earn the third spot. Wyoming was fourth with 69 points, followed closely by Hawai?i in fifth with 67 points. Rounding out the poll UNLV (53 points), San José State (40 points), Air Force (36 points), Nevada (26 points) and New Mexico (25 points), respectively.
The top four teams in the league standings at the end of the season will compete in the 2026 Old Trapper MW Women’s Volleyball Championship presented by the Palms Casino Resort. The Conference tournament is set to begin Nov. 24 and conclude Nov. 25. The winner will earn the league’s automatic berth to the NCAA tournament in December.
MW women’s volleyball has established a legacy of national success, earning 44 NCAA Tournament bids, nine Sweet 16 appearances and an Elite Eight berth since the Conference's founding in 1999.
UNLV junior Jaida Harris was named the 2026 MW Preseason Player of the Year. The Las Vegas native was named the 2025 MW Newcomer of the Year and earned All-MW team honors. Harris recorded a .218 hitting percentage and logged 370 total kills. She also registered 215 digs, 52 total blocks, 38 service aces and 18 assists.
Harris is joined on the 2026 Mountain West Preseason Team by Grand Canyon’s Bella Nunez, Hawai?i’s Cha’lei Reid, UC Davis’ Ximena Cordero Barrand Mia Starr, UTEP’s Ema Uskokovic and Wyoming’s Paige Lauterwasser.
The 2026 Mountain West women’s volleyball season begins Friday, August 28. The league continues to challenge itself against elite competition, with 19 matches against Autonomous 4 opponents in 2026, facing eight AVCA Top 25 teams, including No. 1 Nebraska. MW programs have combined for 24 wins over A4 foes since 2021.
The 2026 season kicks off on Thursday, Aug. 20. Catch all the action on the court on MW+, the official streaming destination for Mountain West women’s volleyball. Stream every match live all season long on the web, the MW+ mobile app for iPhone and Android, or your connected TV, including Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV and Roku. Subscribe today at watch.themw.com.