South Florida Volleyball’s Laila Ivey Named to Preseason All-Conference Team
August 19, 2026 | Women's Volleyball
The Bulls were voted to finish third in the conference by the leagues coaches
IRVING, Texas (August 19, 2026) – The American Conference announced the 2026 Preseason Coaches Poll along with the all-conference team on Wednesday. Laila Ivey was named a preseason selection, and the team was voted third.
Ivey returns to the Bulls after a standout 2025 campaign in which she earned Second Team All-American Conference honors. She finished second on the squad with 210 kills and averaged 2.59 kills per set. Ivey's preseason recognition marks her as one of the conference's top returning players and underscores the expectations for the junior heading into the 2026 season.
The Bulls enter the 2026 campaign with a roster that blends key returners, impactful transfers, and international experience. South Florida has added talent from across the globe and brought in several key transfers to complement its returning core, giving the Bulls a versatile and experienced roster as they prepare for the upcoming season.
2026 American Conference Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll
|
1. |
Rice (12) |
144 |
|
2. |
Tulsa (1) |
120 |
|
3. |
South Florida |
117 |
|
4. |
Wichita State |
111 |
|
5. |
Florida Atlantic |
106 |
|
6. |
North Texas |
78 |
|
7. |
UTSA |
73 |
|
8. |
East Carolina |
71 |
|
9. |
Charlotte |
64 |
|
10. |
Memphis |
45 |
|
11. |
Temple |
36 |
|
12. |
Tulane |
26 |
|
13. |
UAB |
23 |
Note: First-place votes denoted in parenthesis
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About South Florida Volleyball
Head coach Jolene Shepardson enters her seventh season at the helm of her alma mater in 2026. Named head coach on January 8, 2020, as a player she helped lead the Bulls to two conference championships and a pair of NCAA tournament appearances. As head coach, she led the Bulls back to the NCAA Tournament in 2025 for the first time since she was a player in 2002 and guided USF to the 2024 AAC regular-season championship, earning her first Coach of the Year Honor. In 2023, the Bulls won the American Conference East Division, made a postseason appearance in the NIVC, and advanced to the Fab Four to mark the longest postseason run in program history.
South Florida Volleyball has won nine Player of the Year honors, most recently with Maria Clara Andrade winning American Conference honors in back-to-back years in 2024 and 2025. The Bulls have also earned four Setter of the Year honors, most recently with Caroline Dykes being recognized in 2024.
South Florida volleyball has made eight NCAA Tournament appearances and won 13 conference titles since the program's inception in 1972. The Bulls play in The Corral (1,000), located adjacent to the Yuengling Center on the USF campus in Tampa.
