ROSEMONT, Ill. – The UCLA women’s volleyball team was picked to finish ninth out of 18 teams in the 2026 Big Ten Women’s Volleyball preseason poll, while libero Lola Schumacher and middle blocker Marianna Singletary were named to the league’s Preseason All‑Conference Team, the conference announced Thursday morning.
Schumacher and Singletary earned preseason recognition after both securing First Team All‑Big Ten honors in 2025, anchoring a UCLA squad that returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021.
In her debut season with the Bruins, Schumacher quickly emerged as one of the nation’s premier liberos, leading UCLA with 495 digs (4.38 per set) and reaching double‑digit digs in 28 of her 29 starts. She surpassed the 20‑dig mark seven times, highlighted by a career‑best 27 digs in a five‑set win over Illinois. Schumacher closed the season with five 20‑plus dig performances in her final six matches and added 115 assists, six kills, and two Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors.
Singletary delivered a standout junior campaign, finishing second on the team in kills (294) and points (3.26 per set) while leading all regular hitters with a .322 hitting percentage. Defensively, she was a cornerstone of UCLA’s blocking unit, totaling 146 blocks (1.30 per set) and ranking among the Big Ten’s top performers. Singletary posted 13 double‑digit kill matches, including a season‑high 16 against Washington, and added 18 matches with five or more blocks. She shined in UCLA’s NCAA Tournament win over Georgia Tech, recording her first career double‑double with 22 kills and 11 blocks on .556 hitting.
UCLA enters the 2026 season under first‑year head coach Matt Werle. Werle arrives in Westwood after a successful stint as an assistant coach at Kansas and a decade of meteoric success as the head coach of Grand Canyon University’s men’s volleyball program.
In 2025, the Bruins (19‑13, 12‑8 Big Ten) finished tied for sixth in the conference standings and earned their first NCAA Tournament victory since 2021, defeating Georgia Tech in the opening round.
2026 All-Big Ten Preseason Poll
|
Rank |
Team |
|
1 |
Nebraska |
|
2 |
Wisconsin |
|
3 |
Penn State |
|
4 |
Purdue |
|
5 |
Minnesota |
|
6 |
Indiana |
|
7 |
USC |
|
8 |
Oregon |
|
9 |
UCLA |
|
10 |
Illinois |
|
11 |
Michigan |
|
12 |
Michigan State |
|
13 |
Washington |
|
14 |
Northwestern |
|
15 |
Iowa |
|
16 |
Ohio State |
|
17 |
Rutgers |
|
18 |
Maryland |
2026 All-Big Ten Preseason Team
|
Player |
Class |
Position |
School |
|
Jaidyn Jager |
So. |
OH |
Indiana |
|
Teodora Kričković |
So. |
S |
Indiana |
|
Carly Gilk |
So. |
OPP |
Minnesota |
|
ANDI JACKSON |
Sr. |
MB |
Nebraska |
|
HARPER MURRAY |
Sr. |
OH |
Nebraska |
|
BERGEN REILLY |
Sr. |
S |
Nebraska |
|
Alanah Clemente |
So. |
OPP |
Oregon |
|
Valentina Vaulet |
Sr. |
OH |
Oregon |
|
KENNEDY MARTIN |
Sr. |
OPP |
Penn State |
|
Alexis Stucky |
Sr. |
S |
Penn State |
|
Taylor Anderson |
Sr. |
S |
Purdue |
|
Grace Heaney |
R‑Jr. |
OPP |
Purdue |
|
Kenna Wollard |
Sr. |
OH |
Purdue |
|
Jr. |
L |
UCLA |
|
|
Sr. |
MB |
UCLA |
|
|
Adonia Faumuina |
R‑Sr. |
OH |
USC |
|
Abigail Mullen |
So. |
OPP |
USC |
|
Jaela Auguste |
Jr. |
MB |
Wisconsin |
|
Charlie Fuerbringer |
Jr. |
S |
Wisconsin |
Unanimous selection in ALL CAPS
*Additional player due to tie in voting