WACO, TEXAS (Aug. 14, 2024) - The Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) has released the 2024 Volleyball Preseason Poll. The Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) Saints are ranked second out of nine programs. 

The Saints have won the regular-season title three years in a row, while Xavier University of Louisiana (XULA) has captured every postseason title in the same span. The Saints took the Gold Nuggets to five sets in all three championship matches. OLLU went 15-1 in regular season conference play last year, with the only loss coming at the hands of Texas A&M University-Texarkana (TAMUT). The Saints only lost six sets in 16 conference matches. 

The top-ranked Gold Nuggets received four first-place votes in the poll. The Saints are second with three first-place votes and TAMUT is third with one vote. Louisiana Christian University also received one first-place nod and is in the fourth spot. Paul Quinn College is fifth, followed by Jarvis Christian University in sixth, University of the Southwest in seventh, Huston-Tillotson University in eighth and Texas College in ninth. Voting is conducted by the conference's head coaches. 

The Saints welcome nine freshmen and two transfer athletes for the upcoming season. The squad is led by seniors Julissa Casas, Camila Ramirez and Tina Trevino. Head Coach Scott Mattera enters his sixth season, while Assistant Coach Raven Swain begins her second season. The squad opens play against No. 23-ranked University of Providence at the Big Sky Challenge on Friday.