ROME, Ga.  The USA South Athletic Conference women's lacrosse coaches released their 2026 preseason poll on Wednesday afternoon, with Methodist projected to finish third after collecting 63 points.
 
Head coaches are not allowed to vote for their own team in the balloting.
 
Meredith College claimed the top spot in the poll, earning 81 points and nine first-place votes. Piedmont University followed in second with 72 points and the remaining first-place vote. Methodist secured third place, finishing ahead of Southern Virginia University, which totaled 57 points to rank fourth.
 
Brevard College rounded out the top five with 44 points, while Huntingdon College (38 points) and Pfeiffer University (37 points) followed closely in sixth and seventh, respectively. Greensboro College placed eighth with 30 points, William Peace University was ninth with 19 points, and N.C. Wesleyan University completes the poll in 10th with nine points.
 
The 2026 USA South Women's Lacrosse Tournament will once again be contested exclusively at campus sites. The top eight teams in the regular-season standings will qualify for postseason play, beginning with first-round games on Saturday, April 25. The higher-seeded team in each first-round contest will serve as the host. Semifinal contests are scheduled for Thursday, April 30, with the championship match set for Saturday, May 2. The highest remaining seed after first-round play will host each semifinal contest as well as the championship.