Butler senior Elise Ward has been selected to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team as announced by the conference office on Thursday, August 20. 
 
The major awards and Preseason All-BIG EAST Team were voted on by the conference head coaches, who could not cast ballots for their own teams or student-athletes. 
 
Ward played in all 29 matches during the 2025 season. She finished second on the team in kills, tallying 308. Ward also racked up 193 digs and recorded four double-doubles on the season. She earned All-BIG EAST Freshman Team honors in 2023.  
 
As a team, the Bulldogs landed in the ninth spot in the 2026 Big EAST Preseason Coaches Poll. Creighton led the conference with a unanimous 10 first-place votes and finished with 100 points.  Villanova landed in second place with 86 points. Marquette finished third with 82 points. Xavier and DePaul rounded out the top five. 
 
2026 BIG EAST Preseason Awards

1. Creighton (10) 100

2. Villanova 86

3. Marquette (1) 82

4. Xavier 75

5. DePaul 62

6. Georgetown 49

7. UConn 48

8. St. John's 36

9. Butler 34

10. Providence 20

11. Seton Hall 13

 
Preseason BIG EAST Volleyball Player of the Year: 
Abby Harrell, Sr., OH, Villanova 
 
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team^
Elise Ward, Sr., OH, Butler
Abbey Hayes, So., OH, Creighton
Ayden Ames, Jr., MB, Creighton
Jaya Johnson, Sr., RS/MB, Creighton*
Kendall Timme, So., OH., DePaul*
Kamryn Lee-Caracci, Sr., MB, Georgetown
Carson Tyler, Jr., OH, Marquette
Rashanny Solano Smith, Sr., L, St. John's
Abby Harrell, Sr., OH, Villanova
Campbell McKinnon, Jr., MB, Villanova*
Macy Hatkevich, Sr., S, Xavier*
Margot Kemp, RS-Jr., MB, Xavier
McKinley Boehm, RS-So., MB, Xavier
*Denotes unanimous selection