Stevens Picked as Favorite in MAC Freedom Women’s Volleyball Preseason Poll
The Stevens Institute of Technology women’s volleyball team enters the late-summer athletic window positioned as the team to beat, claiming the top spot in the Middle Atlantic Conference Freedom preseason coaches’ poll according to official conference data released on Friday. As programs finalize their rosters ahead of the August 29 season openers, the poll reflects high expectations for a reigning conference champion aiming to defend its crown.
Preseason Poll Standings and Conference Landscape
According to the conference release hosted on gomacsports.com, the Stevens Ducks secured six first-place votes to finish with 48 total points in the polling of MAC Freedom coaches. The evaluation places them ahead of Misericordia, which garnered two first-place votes and 44 points. DeSales claimed third place with 35 points, followed closely by Lebanon Valley in fourth with 33 points.
Further down the rankings, Arcadia University was slotted fifth with 25 points, trailing Lebanon Valley by eight points according to its institutional release on arcadiaknights.com. FDU-Florham captured sixth place with 14 points, Delaware Valley followed in seventh with 13 points, and King’s rounded out the poll in eighth place with 12 points. Alternate polling metrics cited in auxiliary coverage showed slight point variations—such as Stevens totaling 46 points with four first-place votes alongside Misericordia—while maintaining an identical top-two consensus across the conference.
| Rank | Team | Points (gomacsports.com) | First-Place Votes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stevens | 48 | 6 |
| 2 | Misericordia | 44 | 2 |
| 3 | DeSales | 35 | – |
| 4 | Lebanon Valley | 33 | – |
| 5 | Arcadia | 25 | – |
| 6 | FDU-Florham | 14 | – |
| 7 | Delaware Valley | 13 | – |
| 8 | King’s | 12 | – |
Championship Heritage and Upcoming Milestones
The top ranking places a target on the Ducks as they pursue their sixth-straight conference crown. Last year’s campaign culminated in a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Misericordia in the conference title match, though the postseason run ended in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Washington and Lee University, as detailed in conference records.
For programs across the conference, the opening serve arrives on August 29. Arcadia travels to Dallas, Texas, to open its non-conference slate against Concordia University (Texas) at 2:00 p.m. CT. Conference play across the MAC Freedom is scheduled to commence on September 24, leading into the postseason tournament scheduled for November 12-15. The top four seeds will battle for the conference title and the automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Championship.
Managing the rigorous physical demands of an extended fall schedule requires comprehensive athletic health management.
As the fall season approaches, every contender in the MAC Freedom faces a compressed timeline to finalize rotation strategies and tactical adjustments. The race for the conference tournament bids begins in earnest on opening night.
Disclaimer: The insights provided in this article are for informational and entertainment purposes only and do not constitute medical advice or sports betting recommendations.