CARMEL, Ind. -- The Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference has announced the results from their 2025 Volleyball Preseason Poll, conducted by the league's head coaches. The Rose-Hulman Fightin' Engineers have earned the sixth spot in the poll results. 

Rose-Hulman placed sixth in the preseason poll, receiving 40 points. Transylvania has been selected as this season's favorite to claim the HCAC Title, receiving 81 points and nine first-place votes. Mount St. Joseph was ranked second, earning 71 points and one first-place vote. Manchester rounded out the top three teams with 60 points. 

Last season, the Fightin' Engineers finished the year with a record of 11-17 overall and 4-5 in the conference. The team barely missed the HCAC Tournament due to the tiebreaker rules with Anderson. 

The team returns three HCAC All-Conference players, including Lily Ebright, Amaya Harrell, and Keira Ohse. Emma Blanton and Greta Carlson have also been named players to watch by the HCAC this upcoming year. The team is led by Rachel Delsi, entering her eighth year at the helm of the program. 

The Fightin' Engineers open their season on the road this weekend at the Lady Blues Challenge hosted by Illinois College. The team will face Eureka and Augustana on Friday, August 29, and North Central on Saturday, August 30. 

HCAC PRESEASON POLL RESULTS:
1) Transylvania - 81 (9)
2) Mount St. Joseph - 71 (1)
3) Manchester - 60
4) Hanover - 58
5) Earlham - 48
6) Rose-Hulman - 40
7) Anderson - 33
8) Franklin - 27
9) Bluffton - 19
10) Berea - 13