Sideline Media

2026 W&L Volleyball Season Preview

Generals Picked to Win Fourth Consecutive ODAC Title, Receive 11 First Place Votes

8/28/2026 2:00:00 PM

LEXINGTON, Va. - The Washington and Lee University women's volleyball was tabbed as the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) favorite for the 2026 season by the leagues' 13 head coaches, the conference office announced on Friday afternoon. The Blue and White received 11 of the possible 12 first place votes while gaining 143 points.

The Blue and White posted a 23-10 overall record with an 8-3 mark in league play during the 2025 season, earning the fourth-seed in the eight team tournament. The Generals defeated top-seeded Batten University (formerly Virginia Wesleyan) in the semifinals before hoisting their third-straight conference crown with a 3-1 victory over Bridgewater College. In their 18th NCAA Tournament appearance, W&L fell in the opening round to National Semifinalists Berry College in straight sets.

The Generals are the preseason favorite for the second consecutive season after picking up 11 first place votes. The University of Lynchburg was slotted second after tallying the final two first place votes and collecting 126 points while Batten University was slotted third with 124 points. Bridgewater received 116 points in the poll to sit in fourth while Randolph-Macon rounded out the top five with 89 points.

Head Coach Bryan Snyder '95 enters his 27th season at the helm, leading the team to a 673-215 overall record with a 253-28 mark in ODAC play. Snyder has guided the Blue and White to 17 ODAC Championships and 17 NCAA Tournament appearances while winning their first regional championship in program history in 2024. Entering his 29th year as a collegiate head coach, Snyder ranks fifth in wins among active Division III head coaches as he has racked up 714 career wins.

2026 ODAC Volleyball Preseason Poll

Washington and Lee University (11) 143 pts.
University of Lynchburg (2) 126 pts.
Batten University 124 pts.
Bridgewater College 116 pts.
Randolph-Macon College 89 pts.
Shenandoah University 86 pts.
Roanoke College 83 pts.
Guilford College 72 pts.
Randolph College 52 pts.
EMU 46 pts.
Averett University 38 pts.
Hollins University 27 pts.
Sweet Briar College 12 pts.

National Poll

The American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) released their 2026 Division III Preseason Poll on Thursday, August 27th, the Generals received ten votes in the poll. Defending National Champions, UW-Oshkosh received all 76 first place votes to top the poll while Trinity (Texas) sits behind them at No. 2. Berry College (Ga.) was ranked third followed by East Texas Baptist in fourth while Colby rounded out the top five. Batten University was the lone conference institution to be ranked among the Top 25, checking in at No. 22. The Blue and White will square off with four opponents in the preseason rankings including No. 3 Berry, No. 19 Christopher Newport, No. 21 Emory and No. 22 Batten.

The University of Lynchburg joined the Generals in the receiving votes category, tallying 27 votes.

The entire AVCA Top-25 can be found HERE.

Bryan Snyder '95

There has been a mixture of enthusiasm and determination in our gym so far this preseason. We have a young team that is being pushed to learn a great deal in a short amount of time, and they are all working hard to accomplish that goal. The younger players are asking questions, learning from mistakes, and implementing feedback, while the older players are setting a great example of the standards in our gym, modeling a high level of execution, and encouraging their teammates. We have shown improvement in several areas that we identified as areas of concern from last season, and there has been a great deal of carryover from the spring season, particularly with our sophomores. We are excited about the opportunities we have this year, and look forward to the challenge of competing at a high level within the ODAC and Nationally.

Head Coach Bryan Snyder (27th Season)

Schedule Preview

The Blue and White kick off the season Tuesday, Sept. 1, when they travel to Greensboro College before heading to Ohio for a three-match stretch. W&L will take on Franciscan University and Denison University in Granville, Ohio, on Sept. 4 before heading to Westerville to face Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) champion Otterbein University on Sept. 5.

Following the opening road trip, the Generals will make their first appearance in Holekamp Gym when they host the W&L Invitational on Sept. 12, welcoming Gettysburg College and Southern Virginia University. The University of Lynchburg makes a weekday trip to Lexington on Sept. 16 to open ODAC play before the Generals head to Pennsylvania for a tri-match at the University of Scranton, taking on the Royals and Hartwick College.

W&L hosts three of the top volleyball teams in the league, starting with a matchup against nationally ranked Batten University on Friday, Sept. 25, before taking on Randolph-Macon College on Saturday, Sept. 26. Bridgewater College makes the trip down I-81 for an ODAC championship rematch on Oct. 2 before the Generals travel for their first ODAC road match of the year at Shenandoah University on Oct. 7. After a quick midweek trip, the Generals return to Holekamp Gym for a Friday night match against Randolph College on Oct. 9 before hosting the W&L Tri-Match on Saturday against Sweet Briar College and the University of Mary Washington.

The Blue and White head to Harrisonburg, Va., on Oct. 13 for a midweek match at Eastern Mennonite University before taking on nationally ranked Christopher Newport University for Senior Day on Oct. 17. W&L kicks off a three-match road trip at Hollins University on Oct. 20 before taking on Averett University (Oct. 23) and Guilford College (Oct. 24). The conference schedule concludes Wednesday, Oct. 28, with a home match against Roanoke College before the Generals head to Newport News, Va., for a tri-match at CNU. W&L will take on Salisbury University before facing the Captains for the second time in two weeks.

The final week of the regular season takes place in Atlanta at the prestigious Emory National Invitational on Nov. 6-7. The Blue and White will take on 2025 national semifinalist Berry College (Ga.) on Friday afternoon before facing Centre College and host Emory University on Saturday.

The ODAC Tournament runs from Nov. 10-14, beginning with the quarterfinals Tuesday. The semifinals will take place Thursday night, followed by the ODAC championship on Saturday, Nov. 14, with all matches played at the site of the higher seed. The 2026 NCAA Division III Women’s Volleyball Tournament begins Nov. 19-21 with regional rounds at host sites, while the eight regional champions will meet in Pittsburgh at Duquesne University for the national quarterfinals beginning Dec. 2. The national championship match is slated for Saturday, Dec. 5, at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse.

To view the entire W&L women's volleyball schedule, click HERE.

How to Watch

The Old Dominion Athletic Conference is in year two of a five-year media rights agreement with FloSports ensures that all ODAC and W&L home contests will stream live on FloCollege with a subscription. Games will also be available on demand immediately for all subscription holders and new for the 2026-27 year, for free, on FloCollege, 24 hours after their conclusion on FloCollege.com.

FloSports/FloCollege can be accessed through the FloSports app or on major streaming platforms, including Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, and Google Chromecast which provides access to FloSports’ full library of more than 40,000 events across 25 sports. Subscriptions can be purchased here.

Admission to regular-season home games is free, while ODAC semifinal and championship games and any NCAA postseason contests will require paid admission regardless of host institution.

Fans planning to attend should review W&L’s tailgating and parking operations HERE.

Key Returners

Two-time All-American Vivi Vasquez returns to the court for the Generals after another impressive season donning the Blue and White. Vasquez played in all 33 matches last season, registering the fourth-most digs in a single season in program history with 593 while ranking 24th in Division III with 5.34 digs per set. She registered double-digit digs in 28 matches and posted 30 or more digs three times, including 35 against Berry College (Ga.) at the Emory National Invitational, the fourth-most in a single match in program history. Vasquez garnered a slew of honors last season, earning First Team All-ODAC and all-region honors while being named a Third Team All-American by the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). Through her first three seasons, Vasquez ranks No. 2 in program history with 1,656 career digs, needing 194 to surpass Caroline Gard’s ’23 program record of 1,849. She also holds the program records for digs in a single match (42) and a single season (679) while nearing the top 10 in ODAC history for career digs.

Sienna Nichoson returns for her sophomore season as the Blue and White’s primary setter. In her rookie campaign, she played in 32 matches and dished out a team-high 730 assists, averaging 7.68 per set. Nichoson was also a threat from the service line, registering 27 aces, the third-most on the team, while adding 229 digs. Addi Johnson is another returning setter alongside Nichoson. Johnson dished out 233 assists last season while registering nine service aces.

Cara Hamil returns for her sophomore campaign as another top option on the outside alongside senior Grace Mitchener. Hamil ranked third on the team with 209 kills during her rookie season while appearing in 31 matches. She also registered nine service aces, 152 digs and 14 blocks.

On the Court: Senior Grace Mitchener is back as a captain for her final season with the Generals. The two-time All-American led the Blue and White with 382 kills, averaging 3.98 per set in 29 matches while leading the team with 34 service aces. Mitchener also impact matches on the defensive side, ranking second on the team with 390 digs, averaging 4.06 per set. During her junior campaign, she registered 18 double-doubles including a 23 kill, 26 dig performance against Berry College. She garnered multiple honors last season including First Team All-ODAC and All-Region honors while being named an AVCA Honorable Mention All-America. Mitchener heads into her final season ranked 15th in career kills with 1,071 and 13th in career digs with 1,158.

Off the Court: Mitchener, a Classics and Neuroscience double major, has earned a pair of W&L Scholar Athlete honors while being named Academic All-ODAC three times

On the Court: Senior Turi Trainor was named on of three captains for the 2026 season. Trainor, a Las Vegas, Nev. native, has played in 38 matches during her career, dishing out 120 assists while registering 49 digs and eight service aces.

Off the Court: Trainor is an English and Journalism double major and has earned multiple W&L Scholar Athlete, President's List and Academic All-ODAC honors. She is the Editor in Chief of the InGeneral Magazine and served as a Production Intern for the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) in Las Vegas.

On the Court: Junior Emily Schellenberg was named a captain for the 2026 season for the first time in her career. Schellenberg has an impressive sophomore campaign, playing in all 33 matches for the Blue and White. She registered 113 kills while registering 321 digs and ranking second on the team with 29 service aces. Throughout her two years in Lexington, Schellenberg has played in 70 matches, registering 205 kills, 51 assists, 63 services aces, 457 digs and 18 blocks.

Off the Court: Schellenberg is a Business Administration major and has earned multiple W&L Scholar Athlete and Academic All-ODAC citations while being named a College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Selection in 2025. She is a member of the Fancy Dress Committee, the Reformed University Fellowship and works in the Athletics Communications Office as a student assistant.