BABSON PARK, Mass.—The Babson College women's volleyball team was picked to finish second out of 12 schools when the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) released its 2026 preseason coaches' poll on Wednesday.
Reigning NEWMAC regular season and tournament champion MIT received 11 of the 12 first-place votes to finish atop the poll with 121 points, while defending runner-up Babson earned the remaining top vote to finish second with 110 points. Springfield (98), Smith (90), Coast Guard (82) and Emerson (70) rounded out the top half of the poll.
Led by 16th-year head coach
Eric Neely, the Beavers return 16 veterans, including three All-America honorable mentions, from last year's squad that finished 23-8 overall and 10-1 in NEWMAC play to finish runner-up in both the regular season and tournament. The Green and White made their seventh NCAA Tournament second-round appearance in the past eight seasons, which included a trip to the Division III quarterfinals in 2018.
The Beavers open the 2026 campaign on September 5 in Bristol, R.I., with matches against Newmann and host Roger Williams. The home opener is vs. Lasell on September 8, with the NEWMAC debut against Wheaton set for September 22 inside Staake Gymnasium.
2026 NEWMAC Women's Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll
| Rank |
School (first-place votes) |
|
| 1 |
MIT (11) |
121 |
| 2 |
Babson (1) |
110 |
| 3 |
Springfield |
98 |
| 4 |
Smith |
90 |
| 5 |
Coast Guard |
82 |
| 6 |
Emerson |
70 |
| 7 |
Wellesley |
57 |
| 8 |
WPI |
51 |
| 9 |
Wheaton |
41 |
| 10 |
Mount Holyoke |
32 |
| 11 |
Salve Regina |
25 |
| 12 |
Clark |
15 |
