PRESEASON ALL-CAA
BUIES CREEK - Hailey Heytvelt was tabbed Preseason all-CAA while both Maddie Lambers and Emma McCartney earned honorable mention nods in the 2026 CAA preseason voting. Additionally, the defending champion Camels were picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll.
Heytvelt will look to build off a big sophomore season, with a career-best 158 kills and hitting a team-high .341, a mark good for fourth in the CAA. The 6'2" middle blocker also posted 95 blocks, a team-high and sixth-most in the league. Heytvelt came up big in the CAA title match with 10 kills and four blocks to help the Camels capture their first CAA crown.
Maddie Lambers was also named preseason all-CAA honorable mention a season ago, before seeing her sophomore season cut short with an injury. In 19 matches prior to her injury she posted 1.47 kills/set on .320 hitting. Lambers found her stride in her final two matches, with 10 and 12 kills in two matches at Stony Brook, with 12 kills on .524 hitting to go with five blocks on Oct. 25.
Emma McCartney is in her first season with the Camels after two at Northern Illinois. Last season, the Cleveland, Ohio product made 27 starts and paced the Huskies with 306 kills and 2.86 k/s. Her 3.35 points per set were good for 10th in the MAC. She posted 20 kills twice, including once in just four sets against Gonzaga.
The Fighting Camels were picked fifth in the preseason poll after going 13-3 to win a share of the regular season crown, before downing co-champ Hofstra in the CAA Championship title match. The Camels will be guided by Greg Goral, last year's CAA Coach of the Year, entering his 14th season at the helm for the Camels.
Full preseason voting results are below.
| Team (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
| Charleston (5) |
95 |
| Hofstra (4) |
87 |
| Towson (2) |
83 |
| NC A&T |
67 |
| Campbell |
65 |
| Stony Brook |
55 |
| Northeastern |
46 |
| William & Mary |
35 |
| Elon |
34 |
| UNCW |
28 |
| Hampton |
10 |
CAA Preseason Player of the Year
Beatriz Braga, Hofstra
Preseason All-CAA Team
| Player |
Team |
Pos. |
Class |
Hometown |
| Quinn Anderson |
Stony Brook |
OH |
Jr. |
Westborough, Mass. |
| Katherine Arnason |
William & Mary |
RS |
Sr. |
Marine on St. Croix, Minn. |
| Beatriz Braga |
Hofstra |
OH |
Sr. |
Uberlandia, Brazil |
| Hailey Heytvelt |
Campbell |
MB |
Jr. |
Vancouver, Wash. |
| Jumana Martin |
Charleston |
DS |
So. |
Fort Mills, SC |
| Caroline Noonan |
Charleston |
MB |
So. |
Charlotte, NC |
| Constanza Perez Sain |
Hofstra |
RS |
Jr. |
Santa Lucia, Argentina |
| Malinah Purcell-Telefoni |
Towson |
MB |
So. |
Pago Pago, American Samoa |
| Tyne Ross |
NC A&T |
OH |
Jr. |
Cameron, NC |
| Emma Rowell |
Northeastern |
S/RS |
So. |
Torrance, Calif. |
Honorable Mentions
Beatrice Gennari, MB, Northeastern; Avery Horejsi, DS/L, William & Mary; Maddie Lambers, MB, Campbell; Emma McCartney, OH, Campbell; Taylor Pagan, OH, Towson; Catherine Rucker, MB, Elon; Ella Sanders, OH, Stony Brook; Gabby Tuiaana, RS, Charleston; Zariah Winton, OH, N.C. A&T
