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Photo by: Anais Moua
Tulsa’s Jill Hanson Named American Preseason Player of the Year
8/19/2026 2:00:00 PM | Volleyball
Olivia Vance also tabbed Preseason All-Conference
IRVING, Texas — The Tulsa volleyball team has the American Conference on high alert entering the 2026 season. Coaches in the league voted sophomore middle blocker Jill Hanson as the American Preseason Player of the Year, and senior outside hitter Olivia Vance was tabbed Preseason All-Conference. In addition, the Golden Hurricane were voted to finish second in conference play.
Rice, who Tulsa defeated to win the American Championship last season, was selected as the favorite to win the conference with 12 out of 13 possible first place votes.
From San Antonio, Texas, Hanson had one of the best freshman seasons in conference history last year, earning American Freshman of the Year, First Team All-Conference and Unanimous All-Freshman Team honors as well as a selection to the AVCA Central All-Region list. She finished with a .408 hitting percentage–a TU single-season program record–and led the Golden Hurricane with 1.08 blocks per set to go with 3.02 points and 2.32 kills across all 32 matches played.
Hanson hit for over .500 in 14 different matches last season to finish with the nation's top freshman hitting percentage. In last week's exhibition against Little Rock, she finished over .500 once more, making her poised for another great season with the Golden Hurricane.
Vance was the team's top hitter last year and showed no signs of slowing down in last Saturday's home exhibition win over Little Rock. After transferring to Tulsa ahead of last season from James Madison, she led the Golden Hurricane with 3.28 points and 2.87 kills per set through 30 matches played. Additionally, she recorded 15 double-figure kill performances, one match surpassing 20 kills and enjoyed a 10-block match as well. Vance flipped a switch in the American Championship, averaging four points and 3.75 kills through three matches, peaking with a career-high 20 kills in the title match against Rice to earn All-Tournament honors.
Tulsa's final test before the season will be against Missouri on Thursday, Aug. 20, in the Betty & Bobby Allison Sports Town, where the two programs will host a youth clinic before facing off in a 6 p.m. exhibition.
The regular season officially starts for the Golden Hurricane on Friday, Aug. 28, at New Mexico State.
2026 American Conference Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll
Note: First-place votes denoted in parenthesis
2026 American Conference Volleyball Preseason Player of the Year
Jill Hanson, So., MB, Tulsa
2026 American Conference Volleyball Preseason All-Conference
Angeles Alderete, 5th, OH, East Carolina
Taryn Gilreath, Jr., S, East Carolina
Olivia Hart, Jr., OH, Florida Atlantic
Amanda Hardt, Sr., OH/RS, Memphis
Loredana Fouonji, 5th, MB, North Texas
Kaia Mateo, Sr., S, Rice
Aaliyah Smith, So., OH, Rice
Arissa Smith, Sr., MB, Rice
Laila Ivey, Sr., OH, South Florida
Christiana Greene, Jr., OH, Temple
Avery Burks, Sr., OH, Tulane
Jill Hanson, So., MB, Tulsa
Olivia Vance, Sr., OH, Tulsa
Jordan Heatherly, Sr., S, Wichita State
TICKETS
Single-game tickets are now on sale for $12 per ticket per match for ages 4 and older and can be purchased in advance at TulsaHurricane.com or at the entrance of the Donald W. Reynolds Center. Season tickets also start at just $50. Season ticket members will receive 1 (one) membership card per ticket that they order that will be good for all 2025 TU Volleyball regular-season home matches in the Reynolds Center.
No refunds for canceled games due to weather-related or any other cause. CLICK HERE to start the process of ordering tickets or call 918-631-4688.
BALL KID SIGNUP
The Tulsa volleyball team is looking for ball kids for the 2026 season. Ball kids and one accompanying parent or guardian will receive free admission for games they sign up for. Ball kids will retrieve balls that go out of bounds on the sidelines for the entire game and provide a fresh ball for servers. Only ages 10-12 are allowed to participate. Individual and group signups will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign up by clicking HERE.
Visit www.TulsaHurricane.com for the latest news and information on the volleyball program. Fans can also follow the team on X, Facebook and Instagram.
IRVING, Texas — The Tulsa volleyball team has the American Conference on high alert entering the 2026 season. Coaches in the league voted sophomore middle blocker Jill Hanson as the American Preseason Player of the Year, and senior outside hitter Olivia Vance was tabbed Preseason All-Conference. In addition, the Golden Hurricane were voted to finish second in conference play.
Rice, who Tulsa defeated to win the American Championship last season, was selected as the favorite to win the conference with 12 out of 13 possible first place votes.
From San Antonio, Texas, Hanson had one of the best freshman seasons in conference history last year, earning American Freshman of the Year, First Team All-Conference and Unanimous All-Freshman Team honors as well as a selection to the AVCA Central All-Region list. She finished with a .408 hitting percentage–a TU single-season program record–and led the Golden Hurricane with 1.08 blocks per set to go with 3.02 points and 2.32 kills across all 32 matches played.
Hanson hit for over .500 in 14 different matches last season to finish with the nation's top freshman hitting percentage. In last week's exhibition against Little Rock, she finished over .500 once more, making her poised for another great season with the Golden Hurricane.
Vance was the team's top hitter last year and showed no signs of slowing down in last Saturday's home exhibition win over Little Rock. After transferring to Tulsa ahead of last season from James Madison, she led the Golden Hurricane with 3.28 points and 2.87 kills per set through 30 matches played. Additionally, she recorded 15 double-figure kill performances, one match surpassing 20 kills and enjoyed a 10-block match as well. Vance flipped a switch in the American Championship, averaging four points and 3.75 kills through three matches, peaking with a career-high 20 kills in the title match against Rice to earn All-Tournament honors.
Tulsa's final test before the season will be against Missouri on Thursday, Aug. 20, in the Betty & Bobby Allison Sports Town, where the two programs will host a youth clinic before facing off in a 6 p.m. exhibition.
The regular season officially starts for the Golden Hurricane on Friday, Aug. 28, at New Mexico State.
2026 American Conference Volleyball Preseason Coaches' Poll
| 1 | Rice (12) | 144 |
| 2 | Tulsa (1) | 120 |
| 3 | South Florida | 117 |
| 4 | Wichita State | 111 |
| 5 | Florida Atlantic | 106 |
| 6 | North Texas | 78 |
| 7 | UTSA | 73 |
| 8 | East Carolina | 71 |
| 9 | Charlotte | 64 |
| 10 | Memphis | 45 |
| 11 | Temple | 36 |
| 12 | Tulane | 26 |
| 13 | UAB | 23 |
Note: First-place votes denoted in parenthesis
2026 American Conference Volleyball Preseason Player of the Year
Jill Hanson, So., MB, Tulsa
2026 American Conference Volleyball Preseason All-Conference
Angeles Alderete, 5th, OH, East Carolina
Taryn Gilreath, Jr., S, East Carolina
Olivia Hart, Jr., OH, Florida Atlantic
Amanda Hardt, Sr., OH/RS, Memphis
Loredana Fouonji, 5th, MB, North Texas
Kaia Mateo, Sr., S, Rice
Aaliyah Smith, So., OH, Rice
Arissa Smith, Sr., MB, Rice
Laila Ivey, Sr., OH, South Florida
Christiana Greene, Jr., OH, Temple
Avery Burks, Sr., OH, Tulane
Jill Hanson, So., MB, Tulsa
Olivia Vance, Sr., OH, Tulsa
Jordan Heatherly, Sr., S, Wichita State
TICKETS
Single-game tickets are now on sale for $12 per ticket per match for ages 4 and older and can be purchased in advance at TulsaHurricane.com or at the entrance of the Donald W. Reynolds Center. Season tickets also start at just $50. Season ticket members will receive 1 (one) membership card per ticket that they order that will be good for all 2025 TU Volleyball regular-season home matches in the Reynolds Center.
No refunds for canceled games due to weather-related or any other cause. CLICK HERE to start the process of ordering tickets or call 918-631-4688.
BALL KID SIGNUP
The Tulsa volleyball team is looking for ball kids for the 2026 season. Ball kids and one accompanying parent or guardian will receive free admission for games they sign up for. Ball kids will retrieve balls that go out of bounds on the sidelines for the entire game and provide a fresh ball for servers. Only ages 10-12 are allowed to participate. Individual and group signups will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis. Sign up by clicking HERE.
Visit www.TulsaHurricane.com for the latest news and information on the volleyball program. Fans can also follow the team on X, Facebook and Instagram.
Players Mentioned
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