Women's Volleyball | 8/5/2025 12:00:00 PM
OXFORD, Ohio- The Cougars of Indiana University Kokomo are the favorites to return to the top of the River States Conference in women's volleyball, as the Cougars were the top pick in the 2025 RSC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The poll, announced Tuesday by the River States Conference office, saw each of the conference's 12 head coaches rank the other member schools in order of predicted finish.
The Cougars were listed first on ten of the 12 ballots, entering the regular season as the favorite once again. IU Kokomo won the 2024 regular season title in the River States Conference, earning an automatic bid to the NAIA Tournament. The Cougars then won their Opening Round match in the NAIA Tournament, advancing the final site in Sioux City, Iowa. IU Kokomo enters the season as winners of 38 straight regular season matches in conference play.
The University of Rio Grande earned the other two first place votes. The RedStorm won the East Division title last season and were the number two seed in the RSC Tournament. Indiana University East, the reigning RSC Tournament champions, placed third, with Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College and Shawnee State University rounding out the top five.
The remainder of the poll saw Indiana University Southeast sixth to finish out the top half of the ranking, followed by WVU Tech seventh, Oakland City University eighth, Midway University ninth, Indiana University Columbus tenth, Brescia University eleventh, and league newcomer Kentucky Christian University 12th.
More than half of the River States Conference will begin play for the 2025 season on the first allowable date, Friday, August 15. The first conference match, which will see the Pomeroys of St. Mary-of-the-Woods visit the Mighty Oaks of Oakland City, is slated for Tuesday, September 9. Conference play will continue through the first week of November, with the conference tournament to follow.
2025 RSC PRESEASON VOLLEYBALL COACHES' POLL
1. IU Kokomo (120 points, 10 first place votes)
2. Rio Grande (109 points, 2 first place votes)
3. IU East (102 points)
4. Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (90 points)
5. Shawnee State (74 points)
6. IU Southeast (68 points)
7. WVU Tech (53 points)
8. Oakland City (48 points)
9. Midway (46 points)
10. IU Columbus (43 points)
11. Brescia (28 points)
12. Kentucky Christian (11 points)