KANSAS CITY, Mo. – After taking down the No. 2 and No. 18-ranked teams on the road last weekend, Northwestern has moved into the top five for the first time this season, coming in at No. 3 in the NAIA Coaches’ Poll.
Northwestern has been ranked in 65 consecutive NAIA top 25 polls dating back to the 2016 season, which is second in the nation behind Eastern Oregon.
The Raiders currently sit at the top of the GPAC standings, holding a 10-0 conference record through the midway point of October. Last weekend, Northwestern took down No. 2 Concordia (Neb.) on the road in four sets before sweeping No. 18 Midland less than 24 hours later. Another top-15 match is on the books as Northwestern heads to No. 15 Viterbo (Wis.) on Thursday.
Eastern Oregon remained in the top spot, followed by Providence (Mont.), Northwestern, Concordia (Neb.), and Indiana Wesleyan.
GPAC IN THE TOP 25
No. 3 Northwestern Red Raiders
No. 4 Concordia Bulldogs
No. 17 Midland Warriors
RV Dakota Wesleyan Tigers
| TREND | RANK | LAST TIME | SCHOOL [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] | RECORD | POINTS |
| ● | 1 | 1 | Eastern Oregon [18] | 20-0 | 510 |
| ▲ | 2 | 3 | Providence (Mont.) | 21-1 | 491 |
| ▲ | 3 | 7 | Northwestern (Iowa) | 18-3 | 463 |
| ▼ | 4 | 2 | Concordia (Neb.) | 16-2 | 456 |
| ▲ | 5 | 6 | Indiana Wesleyan | 17-3 | 439 |
| ▲ | 6 | 9 | McPherson (Kan.) | 22-1 | 412 |
| ▲ | 7 | 8 | Bellevue (Neb.) | 16-3 | 403 |
| ▼ | 8 | 4 | Corban (Ore.) | 15-4 | 398 |
| ▼ | 9 | 5 | Oklahoma Wesleyan | 16-2 | 384 |
| ● | 10 | 10 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 20-0 | 337 |
| ▲ | 11 | 14 | Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | 12-3 | 323 |
| ▲ | 12 | 13 | Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) | 17-6 | 290 |
| ▼ | 13 | 11 | The Master’s (Calif.) | 14-3 | 266 |
| ▼ | 14 | 12 | St. Thomas (Fla.) | 15-4 | 247 |
| ▲ | 15 | 16 | Viterbo (Wis.) | 17-5 | 244 |
| ▲ | 16 | 20 | IU Kokomo (Ind.) | 19-5 | 241 |
| ▲ | 17 | 18 | Midland (Neb.) | 13-7 | 227 |
| ▲ | 18 | 23 | Northwest (Wash.) | 13-5 | 208 |
| ▼ | 19 | 15 | College of Idaho | 12-7 | 192 |
| ▲ | 20 | 21 | Taylor (Ind.) | 16-7 | 165 |
| ▼ | 21 | 17 | Missouri Baptist | 18-5 | 157 |
| ▼ | 22 | 19 | Grand View (Iowa) | 22-2 | 143 |
| ▲ | 23 | RV | Bushnell (Ore.) | 14-8 | 107 |
| ▲ | 24 | RV | Dakota State (S.D.) | 13-6 | 81 |
| ▲ | 25 | RV | Mobile (Ala.) | 17-2 | 78 |
Dropped from the Top 25: Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), Marian (Ind.), Carroll (Mont.)
Receiving Votes: MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 78, Aquinas (Mich.) 69, Huntington (Ind.) 64, Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 56, Marian (Ind.) 56, Carroll (Mont.) 22, Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 15, Cornerstone (Mich.) 14, Walla Walla (Wash.) 12, Montana State University-Northern 11, Montana Tech 11, Southern Oregon 8, Cumberland (Tenn.) 5
