BETHLEHEM, Pa. — The American women’s volleyball team earned the top spot in the 2026 Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Preseason Poll. Eagles’ junior Deniz Dakak was tabbed as the Preseason Player and Setter of the Year, while junior teammate Bella Marrero earned Preseason Defensive Player of the Year honors, when the League office announced the awards on Wednesday.
Defending Patriot League champion American totaled 64 points and eight first-place votes, while Colgate finished second with 57 points and one first-place vote. Army West Point totaled 45 points to finish third and Lehigh placed fourth with 39 points. Navy followed closely with 38 points to round out the top five. Bucknell (36), Holy Cross (17), Loyola Maryland (14) and Lafayette (13) completed the nine-team poll.
American junior Deniz Dakak was named the 2026 Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Preseason Player and Setter of the Year after winning the postseason awards a season ago. Dakak led the Patriot League in assists (1,028) and assists per set (10.38) while ranking seventh in aces (33) and eighth in aces per set (0.33).
Eagles’ junior Bella Marrero was tabbed as the 2026 Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Preseason Defensive Players of the Year after earning Libero of the Year honors last year. Marrero ranked second in the Patriot League with 404 digs and second with 4.34 digs per set.
American placed a League-high five student-athletes on the preseason All-League squad, while Colgate and Lehigh each featured a pair of players. Army West Point and Bucknell had one student-athlete apiece on the 11-member preseason team.
Voting for the Preseason All-Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Team, major awards and the preseason poll was completed by Patriot League women’s volleyball head coaches from the nine League schools. They cannot vote for their team or student-athletes.
2026 Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Preseason Player & Setter of the Year
Deniz Dakak, American, Jr., Setter, Istanbul, Turkey/Irmak
*2025 Stats: 99 SP, 29 MP, 49 kills, .287 hitting pct., 1,028 assists, 33 service aces, 230 digs, 65.0 total blocks
*Dakak earned both preseason honors after being selected as the 2025 Patriot League Volleyball Player and Setter of the Year.
*The junior led the Patriot League in assists (1,028) and assists per set (10.38), which ranked 26th in NCAA Division I.
*The native of Istanbul, Turkey also ranked tied for seventh in aces (33) and eighth in aces per set (0.33).
*Dakak added 49 kills, 230 digs and 65.0 total blocks to earn AVCA All-America Honorable mention and AVCA East All-Region honors.
*Last season, Dakak became just the fourth student-athlete in League history to claim both major awards in the same season, joining American’s Monika Smidova (2014, 2015) and Colgate’s Julia Kurowski (2022).
2026 Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Bella Marrero, American, Jr., L, Burbank, Calif./Campbell Hall
*2025 Stats: 93 SP, 27 MP. 89 assists, 29 service aces, 404 digs, 4.34 digs per set
*Marrero earned Preseason Defensive of the Year honors after being named the Libero of the Year in 2025.
*The junior ranked second in the Patriot League in total digs (404) and digs per set (4.34).
*The Burbank, Calif. native recorded double-digit digs in 22 matches, including a career-high 29 digs against George Washington on Aug. 31.
*Last season, Marrero become just the third Eagle to earn Patriot League Libero of the Year honors (Hoakalei Dawson – 2015, Kristen Largay – 2017).
2026 Preseason All-Patriot League Women’s Volleyball by the Numbers (2025 Stats)
American placed a League-high five student-athletes on the 2026 Preseason All-Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Team as the Eagles’ Dakak and Marrero were joined by teammates Sophie Dufour (So., OH), Elise Sterling (So., MB) and Princess Zeck (Sr., MB). Colgate and Lehigh each had two selections with Milan Bayless (Sr., OH) and Tiana Owens (Jr., OH) representing the Raiders, while Alysia Fingall (Sr., RS) and Natalie Luscomb (Sr., RS) represented the Mountain Hawks. Army West Point senior setter Juliette Myrick and Bucknell senior middle blocker Sidney Shaffer rounded out the 11-member preseason squad.
Ten of the 11 preseason All-Patriot League Team members were named to the 2025 Patriot League Women’s Volleyball First or Second Teams. Dakak, Dufour, Zeck, Shaffer, Bayless and Owens collected First Team Honors, while Marrero, Sterling, Myrick and Luscomb earned Second Team recognition last season.
Preseason All-Patriot League Women’s Volleyball by Class
Six members of the 2026 Preseason All-Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Team are entering their senior seasons, while the five additional honorees are juniors or sophomores.
2026 Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Preseason Poll
1. American, 64 (8 first-place votes)
2. Colgate, 57 (1 first-place vote)
3. Army West Point, 45
4. Lehigh, 39
5. Navy, 38
6. Bucknell, 36
7. Holy Cross, 17
8. Loyola Maryland, 14
9. Lafayette, 13
2026 Patriot League Preseason Women’s Volleyball Major Awards
Player & Setter of the Year – Deniz Dakak, American, Jr., S
Defensive Player of the Year – Bella Marrero, American, Jr., L
2026 Preseason All-Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Team*
Deniz Dakak, American, Jr., S
Sophie Dufour, American, So., OH
Bella Marrero, American, Jr., L
Elise Sterling, American, So., MB
Prinzez Zeck, American, Sr., MB
Juliette Myrick, Army West Point, Sr., S
Sidney Shaffer, Bucknell, Sr., MB
Milan Bayless, Colgate, Sr., OH
Tiana Owens, Colgate, Jr., OH
Alysia Fingall, Lehigh, Sr., RS
Natalie Luscomb, Lehigh, Sr., RS
Note: Student-athletes are listed alphabetically by institution
*Due to a tie in voting, there are 11 members on the Preseason All-Patriot League Women’s Volleyball Team
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The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.