NEW ORLEANS | South Alabama volleyball player
Cambria Gaier was one of 12 players from around the league to earn preseason all-conference honors from the Sun Belt Conference on Wednesday as announced by the league office.
The Jaguars were also picked to finish second in the West Division behind Arkansas State as they received 79 points and one first-place vote.
In her first season with the Jaguars, Gaier was named the SBC Freshman of the Year, just the third player in program history to earn the honor, joining Mechell Daniel (2013) and Rebecca Walk (2020), and was a second-team, all-league honoree during the 2025 season.
The Caledonia, Mich., native averaged 3.50 kills per set and 4.11 points per set, ranking seventh and fifth, respectively, in the league – and her 0.38 aces per set were fifth most in the Sun Belt. Against SBC foes, Gaier averaged 3.67 kills per set (fourth in the SBC) and 4.45 points per set (fourth in the SBC).
She recorded four or more kills in a set 52 times (49.1 percent of her sets played), including 13 sets with six or more. Gaier also had 22 double-figure kill matches, including three of 20 or more, and four other matches of nine kills. She recorded 11 or more kills in all but two of her conference matches during the regular season, just missing double figures in each as she had nine. Gaier posted double-doubles in three of her last four matches to close out the season.
Gaier posted 12 matches with multiple service aces, and scored 15 or more points in 20 matches, including eight of 20 or more points.
2026 Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Preseason Awards
Preseason Player of the Year:
Kennedy Louisell, James Madison (4th Yr., OH, Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Preseason Libero of the Year:
Maddie Cugino, Georgia Southern (3rd Yr., L, Columbus, Ohio)
Preseason Setter of the Year:
Erin Madigan, Arkansas State (4th Yr., S, Macomb, Mich.)
Preseason All-Sun Belt Team
Addison Collum, Arkansas State (3rd Yr., RS, Buena Park, Calif.)
Erin Madigan, Arkansas State (4th Yr., S, Macomb, Mich.)
Kaitlin Whitlock, Arkansas State (4th Yr., OH, San Antonio, Texas)
Anna Rita, Coastal Carolina (4th Yr., MB, Riga, Latvia)
Reagan Barth, Georgia Southern (4th Yr., OH, Lenexa, Kan.)
Maddie Cugino, Georgia Southern (3rd Yr., L, Columbus, Ohio)
Kennedy Louisell, James Madison (4th Yr., OH, Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Ayen Nhial, James Madison (3rd Yr., MB, Louisville, Ky.)
Emma Barnett, Marshall (2nd Yr., OH, Louisville, Ky.)
Cambria Gaier, South Alabama (2nd Yr., OH, Caledonia, Mich.)
Sadie McAda, Southern Miss (4th Yr., OH, Pleasanton, Texas)
Sunni Sheppard, Southern Miss (4th Yr., L, Brandon, Miss.)
2026 Sun Belt Conference Volleyball Preseason Poll
(Parentheses indicate first-place votes)
East Division
1. James Madison (12) - 95
2. Georgia Southern (2) - 84
3. Coastal Carolina - 68
4. App State - 52
5. Marshall - 44
6. Georgia State - 29
7. Old Dominion - 20
West Division
1. Arkansas State (12) - 95
2. South Alabama (1) - 79
3. Southern Miss (1) - 64
T4. Louisiana - 56
T4. Troy - 56
6. Louisiana Tech - 24
7. ULM - 18
South Alabama will hold its annual Red vs. Blue Scrimmage on Friday, Aug. 21 at 6 p.m., before officially opening the season with the Jaguar Classic on Aug. 28-30.
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