Northwestern College is the preseason favorite to win another Great Plains Athletic Conference volleyball championship, while Dordt University will enter the season ranked fifth in the league.
The Red Raiders received 120 points and 10 of the 12 first-place votes in the GPAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Concordia was picked second with 109 points and the remaining two first-place votes, followed by Dakota Wesleyan and Midland.
Northwestern swept the GPAC regular-season and tournament championships for the third consecutive year in 2025. The Red Raiders went 16-0 in conference play, dropping only four sets against GPAC opponents during the regular season.
Northwestern later reached the NAIA national championship match for the second time in three seasons before finishing as the national runner-up.
Northwestern Returns Experienced Group
Eight rotation players return for head coach Kyle Van Den Bosch, including reigning GPAC Player of the Year and First Team All-American Stella Winterfeld. Winterfeld ranked third in the conference in kills last season and recorded a career-high 24 kills in Northwestern’s conference opener against Dordt.
All-conference selections Maddy Sampson, Nyah Potthoff and Sidney Oostra are also back for the Red Raiders.
Northwestern begins its season August 21 at the Hope International Summer Slam in Anaheim, California.
Dordt Selected Fifth
Dordt received 80 points and was picked fifth in the preseason poll.
The Defenders finished 19-9 last season before falling to Dakota Wesleyan in four sets during the quarterfinal round of the GPAC Tournament. Dakota Wesleyan went on to qualify for the NAIA National Tournament.
The 2026 conference schedule will include 16 matches for each of the GPAC’s 12 teams. The GPAC regular-season and postseason tournament champions will receive automatic berths in the NAIA National Championship.
The NAIA Opening Round is scheduled for November 21, with the final site returning to the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City from December 2–8.
2026 GPAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1 — Northwestern — 120 points (10 first-place votes)
2 — Concordia — 109 (2)
3 — Dakota Wesleyan — 96
4 — Midland — 93
5 — Dordt — 80
6 — College of Saint Mary — 68
7 — Morningside — 67
8 — Mount Marty — 41
9 — Briar Cliff — 40
10 — Hastings — 33
11 — Doane — 28
12 — Waldorf — 17
