SummitVBFan/Jeremy Cleveland

Time for a trip down memory lane. In 2018, the Summit ranked 22nd nationally, with just 1 program in the Top 100 and only 4 in the Top 250. Fast forward to today, and the Summit has grown into a Top 10 volleyball conference. Last season, 3 programs finished in the Top 100 and 6 ranked inside the Top 170. Let's not forget the Summit League is also one of just 7 conferences to receive an at-large NCAA Tournament bid in back-to-back years. The Summit is making noise on the national stage. How high can the Summit League climb over the next five years? Can't wait to find out.

Recruiting Update: North Dakota has added Caroline Brown, a 5'10" setter from Lafayette, Indiana, to its 2028 recruiting class. The latest evaluation I found raved about Brown, calling her a "STUD" with beautiful technique. Looks like a strong pickup for the Fighting Hawks.

Only two Division I volleyball players will enter the 2026 season chasing a third consecutive conference Player of the Year award: Olivia Babcock (ACC) and Sylvie Zgonc (Summit League). That's some elite company. Zgonc is looking to become the first three-time consecutive Summit League Player of the Year since Oral Roberts Juliana Moser accomplished the feat in the 1990s. One of my favorite discoveries while researching Sylvie was an old interview where she talked about getting cut multiple times as a young player. Hard to imagine now, considering she's a two-time Player of the Year.

@VBAdrenaline @kandielite @AAUVolleyball Love it! I'll definitely have to watch her in action when Alex and Moorhead take the court this season.

New Player Profile and article up at VBadrenaline is right up @SummitVBFan alley @kandielite 29 OH Lila Schlichting is capping off a busy summer at some of the top Mid-Major 🏕️ trying to make an impact for next June! Follow her journey w us on the site! @AAUVolleyball AllAmerican

Updated with the release of the Oral Roberts non-conference schedule. Just one team left: North Dakota. As of today, Summit League teams are scheduled to play 25 matches against 2025 Top 100 opponents during non-conference play.

Schedule is out for Oral Roberts. Year 2 of the rebuilding project is underway for Nolan Albrecht in Tulsa. In today's schedule release, Coach Albrecht said, "I'm excited for this team to showcase all the growth and effort we've put in since December." After going 10-75 over the past three seasons, the hope is this program starts trending in the right direction again. Oral Roberts enjoyed a remarkable run from 1995-98, winning 30, 27, 29, and 29 matches. The Golden Eagles will have an opportunity to boost the Summit League's computer numbers when they host rival Tulsa in the 90th edition of the Mayor's Cup to open the home schedule. It will be interesting to see how much progress this team makes early in the season.

Looking ahead.... The Summit League returns two of the nation's most dangerous young servers. Anya Schmidt (St. Thomas) and Faith Venable (Omaha) both finished among the nation's Top 25 in aces per set as freshmen last season, a remarkable start to their collegiate careers. Plenty of firepower returning from the service line.

Congratulations to South Dakota State volleyball on officially selling out its match with Nebraska. It will be a special night for Summit League volleyball and a tremendous opportunity to showcase the Jackrabbits, the league, and the sport in front of a packed home crowd.

@howlwithus3 I love measuring and comparing numbers, so I might have to add that stat to all future comparisons. 😄

Worth noting only 1 of the 45 can call themselves a Howling Podcast ‘Friend of the Show’.

Forty-five setters in the nation averaged at least 10 assists per set in 2025, and three of them call the Summit League home. Among those returning for 2026, only the Big Ten has more 10-assist-per-set setters than the Summit. Rylee Martin, Avery Van Hook, and Morgan Kealy give the Summit League one of the nation's best trios of floor generals entering the 2026 season.

@dajuan_hooten This is based on non-conference strength of schedule only, so the four matchups against opponents ranked outside the top 100 - Florida Gulf Coast, New Mexico, DePaul, and UNLV are pulling the overall number down.

why is nebraska 35…

I could be wrong, but it appears North Dakota State may become the first Summit League volleyball program to add a commercial patch to its jerseys. According to this article, the Bison will feature a sponsored logo on the left shoulder this season. Hopefully, this provides additional resources the athletic department can reinvest into the volleyball program.

@NDSUBISONATION8 No, it'll be higher than that. All Division I opponents, all away from home.

@SummitVBFan NDSU #312 lol

With most non-conference schedules now released, SuperVolley has updated its Top 100 Non-Conference Schedule Rankings. The Summit League places three teams in the Top 100: South Dakota State (#39), South Dakota (#47), and St. Thomas (#63). Even more impressive, all three rank among the Top 25 mid-major non-conference schedules for 2026.

South Dakota State vs. Sacramento State (in Malibu) South Dakota at Drake North Dakota State at Tulane Omaha at Washington State Kansas City vs. Jackson State (Clarksville) Kansas City vs. UT Martin St. Thomas will open in 51 days. North Dakota & Oral Roberts are still TBD. Can't wait for August 28th!

St. Thomas has officially released its 2026 roster. After graduating the talented senior class that led the Tommies to the NCAA Tournament last season, St. Thomas will still field a full 18-player roster in 2026, led by reigning Summit League Setter of the Year Morgan Kealy and Freshman of the Year Anya Schmidt. VBAdrenaline also gives high marks to incoming freshmen Bryn Lunski and Madison Jones, making them two newcomers to watch early this season. I'm also interested to see the impact transfers Audrey Kocon (Providence) and Sophia Del Valle (Presbyterian) have on this squad. Those four newcomers could play a significant role in determining whether the Tommies can make another run at the Summit League title.

@NDSUathletics @NDSUmbb @NDSUvolleyball @NDSUteammakers Congratulations, Derrick! Excited to see what your leadership can do for Bison Volleyball and the continued growth of NDSU Athletics.

Derrick Lang has been named NDSU's new deputy director of athletics overseeing all fundraising for athletics, plus oversight of external operations and sport supervision of @NDSUmbb and @NDSUvolleyball. Lang has served as the Executive Director of @NDSUteammakers since 2019. A national search will begin immediately to fill that position. gobison.com/news/2026/7/8/…

Not sure a Summit League program has ever hosted the preseason No. 1 team in any sport before, but it's about to happen this September. Getting tickets to Nebraska vs. South Dakota State volleyball might make scoring pit tickets to Taylor Swift or Olivia Rodrigo seem easy by comparison. Reserved season tickets are already sold out, according to South Dakota State's ticket site, and the cheapest tickets currently listed on StubHub are $385 each. This atmosphere is going to be incredible.

@NDSUBISONATION8 Thanks for the response and for raising the bar on expectations. We're definitely in agreement that not all win-loss records are created equal. The team that finishes third in the Summit League this year would likely beat the majority of mid-major conference champions.

@SummitVBFan NDSU basketball last year was FOOLS GOLD, totally . feasting on 300+ RPI teams and zero quality wins. NDSU volleyball needs to finish 1-2, its the 1 sport that should be dominating at NDSU with all the talent in the Twin Cities for Volleyball!

North Dakota State has posted its 2026 roster. Of the six Summit League teams to post rosters so far, the Bison currently rank: - 2nd in returning sets played, behind only South Dakota - 3rd in returning points, behind South Dakota and South Dakota State All-Summit League First Team selection Lauren Jansen returns. All-Summit League Second Team selection Arianna Blohm returns. All-Freshman Team selection Rya Borer returns. With one of the strongest returning cores in the Summit League, there's plenty of reason for optimism surrounding Coach Lopez and the Bison entering the season.

I appreciate the interest and engagement! What would you consider a successful 2026 season? It's not always easy for me to compare volleyball to other sports. For example, North Dakota State won the Summit League men's basketball title last season while ranking No. 118 in KenPom. A No. 118 ranking in volleyball would likely translate to around a fifth-place finish in the Summit League this year.

@SummitVBFan JLO needs to do something 10 years of nothing has to end