LONG BEACH, Calif. – With the return of fall sports in full throttle, the Pacific West Conference unveiled the official preseason poll for the 2025 women's volleyball campaign. The Vanguard Lions, poised to begin their first season as full members of NCAA Division II, were placed eighth in the preseason predictions, receiving 78 points in the voting process.
The 2024 runners-up in Point Loma were billed to best the bunch in the 13-team league, earning 163 points, with eight first-place votes. The Sea Lions will hope to reclaim their conference crown from reigning champions Chaminade (158 points, four first-place votes) after the Silverswords became the second team in PacWest history to boast a perfect 20-0 conference record on the way to the title last season.

CUI nestled in the third spot, collecting 126 points, while Hawaii Hilo (113 points) and Fresno Pacific (112 points, one first-place vote) were narrowly separated at the fourth and fifth positions. Biola's strong core of returners helped them place sixth (97 points) and narrowly edge out Azusa Pacific in seventh (94 points).

One point separated VU from Jessup (77 points), and Westmont claimed 64 points, placing them in 10th. Rounding out the final spots were Menlo (38 points), Dominican (35 points), and Hawaii Pacific (25). The full conference release can be found here.

The Blue and Gold welcome back 12 returnees, including Second Team All-PacWest performer Adeline Galvanoni, to take on the new season. They'll also enjoy the contributions of six new faces to the squad, as VU will fight to improve on their 10-10 conference record from their debut season.

This campaign, the PacWest has also announced key changes, including the introduction of a championship tournament to conclude the regular season, as well as a shortened conference league schedule with just 12 games per team. With nine non-conference games, VU gets plenty of preparation for the conference's shifting landscape. Their league opener will be at home against Hawaii Pacific on September 25 at 7 pm.