Despite capturing their first-ever Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) regular season championship and storming through the conference tournament with wins over both perennial powers Xavier and Texas A&M-Texarkana, Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) finds itself in a surprising spot heading into the 2025 volleyball season: ranked third in the preseason coaches poll.
OLLU wrapped up the 2024 season with an impressive 19-12 overall record and a near-perfect 15-1 mark in RRAC play. The Saints continued their dominance in the RRAC tournament, entering as the No. 2 seed and toppling both Xavier and TAMUT to capture the tournament crown and avenge previous title game losses.
Yet, in the 2025 preseason poll, it’s Texas A&M-Texarkana (TAMUT)—the team OLLU defeated in the tournament—that takes the top spot, earning four first-place votes. Xavier (La.) comes in second with one first-place nod, while OLLU, despite their championship pedigree, sits in third place with just one first-place vote.
Rounding out the poll are Louisiana Christian (4th), Jarvis Christian (5th), and Texas College (6th).
The conference shrinks to six teams this year following the departure of Huston-Tillotson and Paul Quinn, while University of the Southwest has paused its volleyball program for the season.
Voting was conducted by the RRAC’s head coaches, using a 6-5-4-3-2-1 points system.
2025 RRAC Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll
(First-place votes in parentheses)
- Texas A&M-Texarkana (4) – 33 pts
- Xavier (La.) (1) – 29 pts
- Our Lady of the Lake (Texas) (1) – 27 pts
- Louisiana Christian – 19 pts
- Jarvis Christian (Texas) – 13 pts
- Texas College – 6 pts