LEXINGTON, Ky. – The American Volleyball Coaches Association released its annual Division II preseason poll on Monday afternoon, with Concordia-St. Paul selected as the top team in the nation.  

The Golden Bears amassed 1,142 points and 18 first-place votes in the poll, leading second-place Tampa (10 first-place votes, 1,108 points) by 34 points. Defending national champion MSU Denver was picked third with 987 points and 18 first-place votes.

It marks the first time since 2018 that the Golden Bears have claimed the top spot in the preseason poll. CSP last sat atop the weekly poll on September 11, 2023.

Concordia has been a mainstay near the top of the poll for more than two decades, as it has ranked outside the top 10 for just eight weeks since 2003, never ranking below #15. The Golden Bears have ranked #1 at least once in 17 of the past 21 seasons. In total, CSP has spent an incredible 84 weeks as the top team in the country since debuting there in the 2004 preseason poll.

CSP is one of four Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference representatives in the preseason poll, with St. Cloud State (5), Wayne State (9), and Southwest Minnesota State (14) also appearing in the first edition of the rankings.

The Golden Bears finished the 2025 campaign with an overall record of 31-6, making the program's 12^th run to the national title match and ultimately finishing as the national runner-up. In conference play, the Golden Bears finished 19-1 to claim their 15^th NSIC regular season title.

Concordia will get the 2026 slate underway at the Cedarville (Ohio) Invitational with matches against Gannon (Pa.) and Missouri St. Louis on Friday, August 28.