The Rockhurst Hawks women's volleyball team will enter the 2026 season receiving votes in the first AVCA-Taraflex Division II Coaches Poll of the season, as the Hawks received three votes in the preseason rankings announced Monday (August 17).
Rockhurst enters the new campaign looking to build on a 22-11 record from a season ago, including an 11-2 mark in Great Lakes Valley Conference play. The Hawks advanced to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional last season, opening postseason play with a sweep of Ohio Dominican before seeing their season come to an end against ranked Ferris State.

The Hawks return a strong group of veterans in 2026, led by junior Delaney Hope, who enters the season after earning honorable mention All-American recognition and first-team All-GLVC honors as a sophomore. Hope led Rockhurst in hitting percentage last season and finished tied for eighth in the GLVC in blocks during conference play. She totaled more than 100 blocks on the season, ranking fifth overall in the conference.

Hope will be joined by a veteran senior class that includes Avery DeLong, Alyssa McDonald, Jaicee Corcoran, Molly Trachta and Ali Olson, while the Hawks also welcome senior transfer Bailey Donnelly to the roster.

Trachta returns for her senior season after earning All-GLVC Second Team recognition a year ago. She finished eighth in the conference in assists and ninth in service aces during GLVC play, providing a consistent presence around the net for the Hawks throughout the season.

The 2026 season will mark the seventh year at the helm for head coach Trent Jones, who has continued to establish Rockhurst as a consistent contender within the GLVC. Jones and the Hawks will look to use the past five seasons of NCAA postseason experiences as momentum heading into the new campaign.

Rockhurst opens the 2026 season with national recognition in the preseason poll, joining a field that includes several of the nation's top Division II programs. Concordia-St. Paul was selected No. 1 in the preseason poll, followed by Tampa, MSU Denver, Point Loma and St. Cloud State.

With a veteran core returning, postseason experience under its belt and a spot among teams receiving votes nationally, Rockhurst begins the 2026 season with its sights set on another run through the GLVC and NCAA Division II postseason.