NEW YORK – For the second consecutive season No. 12 Creighton was unanimously favored to lead the BIG EAST, as announced by the league on Thursday with the release of the 2025 Preseason Coaches’ Poll and All-Conference awards. Bluejay senior outside hitter Ava Martin was recognized as the Preseason Player of the Year. She headlines a Preseason All-BIG EAST team of 14 student-athletes.
Creighton enjoyed a record-breaking 2024 campaign, owning a 32-3 overall record while going undefeated (18-0) in conference play to capture its 11th consecutive BIG EAST regular season title. The squad refused to relinquish a set at the 2024 BIG EAST Volleyball Championship, claiming the program’s 10th crown behind sweeps of DePaul and Marquette. With the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, the Bluejays swept South Dakota and Ole Miss to reach the regional round. The squad’s historic season continued with a four-set victory over two-time reigning NCAA Champion, Texas, before concluding with a tightly contested five-set loss to the eventual National Champion, Penn State, in the Regional Final.
The Bluejays’ efforts were awarded with the team’s highest ever year-end ranking (No. 6) following a program-record 14 straight weeks in the Top 10. Additionally, the team set single-season program records for wins (32), hitting percentage (.324), and service aces (224). A nation-leading five Jays were named AVCA All-Americans. Current first-year Head Coach Brian Rosen was named the 2024 AVCA National Assistant Coach of the Year.
Marquette took second in the standings with one first place vote and 85 total points following a 2024 season which saw the Golden Eagles reach the NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinals. UConn rounded out the top three with 80 points after tying the program-record for most wins in a single season (26). St. John’s followed closely in fourth (79) fresh off their deepest postseason run in program history, reaching the National Invitational Volleyball Championship (NIVC) Fab Four.
A year removed from reaching the BIG EAST Championship semifinal, Villanova is favored to finish fifth (63) and DePaul in sixth (53). Xavier has been picked seventh (47), followed by Seton Hall in eighth (31) and Butler in ninth (29). Georgetown (27) and Providence (11) round out the group in tenth and eleventh, respectively.
Martin has earned All-America recognition twice while picking up a pair of All-Region honors and a plethora of All-BIG EAST accolades. This summer, she was a member of the gold medal-winning United States U23 Volleyball Team at the NORCEC Pan American Cup and was one of 30 women named to the 2025 AVCA Player of the Year Watch List.
In 2024, Martin captured her third consecutive All-BIG EAST and All-BIG EAST Tournament honors before earning AVCA All-West Region and AVCA All-America Third Team accolades. As a junior she was a fixture on the AVCA Player of the Year Watch List, ranking second in the conference in both kills (221) and hitting percentage (.408), while leading the league in service aces (37) during BIG EAST play.
In 2023, the outside hitter was named to the league’s All-Conference and All-Tournament teams followed by AVCA All-Region and Honorable Mention All-America recognition. She was the 2022 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year while picking up All-BIG EAST, All-BIG EAST Tournament, and All-BIG EAST Freshman accolades.
Creighton, UConn, and St. John’s led the Preseason All-BIG EAST selections with three honorees each. Martin was joined by fellow unanimous selection Kiara Reinhardt (Sr., MB) and Jaya Johnson (So., RS/MB). In 2024, Reinhardt led the league in total blocks (81) and blocks per set (1.53).
The Huskies were represented by 2024 Co-Freshman of the Year McKenna Brand (So., L/DS), graduate setter Doga Kutlu, and senior outside hitter Emma Werkmeister.
St. John’s delegates included unanimous decision Erin Jones (Sr., S/RS), Lucrezia Lodi (Sr., OH), and Rashanny Solano Smith (Jr., L/DS). Last season, Jones set the BIG EAST single-season triple-double record (8). This summer, Solano Smith was named the Best Libero of the U-21 Pan American Cup while representing Costa Rica.
Marquette and Villanova picked up two selections apiece. For the Golden Eagles, Hattie Bray (Sr., MB) was a unanimous selection after leading the conference last year with a .431 hitting percentage. She was joined by teammate Natalie Ring (Jr., OH).
Villanova junior outside hitter Abby Harrell and sophomore middle blocker Campbell McKinnon joined the Preseason All-Conference squad after helping the Wildcats to their first playoff win since 2015 at the 2024 BIG EAST Volleyball Championship.
Xavier’s Margo Kemp (RS-So.), the 2024 Co-Freshman of the Year, rounded out the Preseason All-BIG EAST team.
All-BIG EAST honors and preseason polls were decided by a vote of the league’s head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own team or players. The 2025 season gets underway on Saturday, Aug. 23. Conference play begins on Wednesday, Sept. 24.
BIG EAST Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
(first-place votes)
1. Creighton (10) 100
2. Marquette (1) 85
3. UConn 80
4. St. John’s 79
5. Villanova 63
6. DePaul 53
7. Xavier 47
8. Seton Hall 31
9. Butler 29
10. Georgetown 27
11. Providence 11
Preseason BIG EAST Volleyball Player of the Year: Ava Martin, Sr., OH, Creighton
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team^
McKenna Brand, So., L/DS, UConn
Doga Kutlu, Gr., S, UConn
Emma Werkmeister, Sr., OH, UConn
Jaya Johnson, So., RS/MB, Creighton
Ava Martin, Sr., OH, Creighton*
Kiara Reinhardt, Sr., MB, Creighton*
Hattie Bray, Sr., MB, Marquette*
Natalie Ring, Jr., OH, Marquette
Erin Jones, Sr., S/RS, St. John’s*
Lucrezia Lodi, Sr., OH, St. John’s
Rashanny Solano Smith, Jr., L/DS, St. John’s
Abby Harrell, Jr., OH, Villanova
Campbell McKinnon, So., MB, Villanova
Margo Kemp, RS-So., MB, Xavier
^Denotes tie in voting
*Denotes unanimous selection