HOUSTON – The University of St. Thomas Volleyball team enters the 2026 season with high expectations, as the Celts have been selected as the 2026 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference (SCAC) preseason favorite by the league's head coaches.
St. Thomas earned seven of 10 first-place votes and collected 96 total points, finishing ahead of defending SCAC Tournament Champion Colorado College (88) and Hendrix College (82).
The preseason recognition comes after a historic 2025 campaign in which the Celts posted a 23-6 overall record, went 13-3 in SCAC play and captured a share of the Gold Division regular-season championship – the program's first conference regular-season volleyball title since transitioning from the NAIA to NCAA Division III and joining the SCAC in 2019.
Head Coach Keanne Burt and her staff were also recognized as the 2025 SCAC Coaching Staff of the Year, marking the first SCAC Coaching Staff of the Year honor of Burt's career.
A Pair of All-Conference Stars Return
Leading the charge for the Celts in 2026 is reigning SCAC Player of the Year Alexis Bodunrin, who returns for her senior season after one of the most dominant offensive campaigns in the conference.
Bodunrin led the SCAC with 4.08 kills per set last season and earned five Offensive Player of the Week honors. Her five weekly awards marked the most in a single season since Colorado College's Georgia Mullins also collected five honors in 2021.
Bodunrin will once again be joined by fellow senior standout Carly Lange, the reigning SCAC Backrow Player of the Year.
Lange anchored the Celts' defense in 2025, leading the conference with 668 digs while averaging 6.19 digs per set, a mark that ranked third in all of NCAA Division III.
With two of the conference's premier players returning, St. Thomas brings a championship-caliber combination of offensive firepower and defensive strength into the 2026 campaign.
"It's great to have the respect for our program from the other coaches in the conference. We have so many talented programs that we have to compete against, so I don't take that for granted, but now it's time to get to work and improve ourselves in the SCAC this season," said Burt.
Celts Set Their Sights on the Next Step
The preseason recognition places St. Thomas at the top of a talented SCAC field, but the Celts know the ranking is only the beginning.
After earning the No. 1 seed in last year's SCAC Tournament, St. Thomas advanced to the semifinal round before falling to eventual champion Colorado College in a five-set battle.
Now, the Celts return with unfinished business and an opportunity to build on one of the most successful seasons in program history.
The 2026 season begins with non-conference action on Tuesday, September 1, before SCAC play gets underway on Tuesday, September 22.
With a conference Player of the Year, a Backrow Player of the Year, a reigning Coaching Staff of the Year and the league's preseason No. 1 ranking, St. Thomas enters 2026 ready to turn preseason expectations into postseason results.
The Celts are ready to get to work.
