After playing in the national championship match last winter, the Northwestern College volleyball team has been picked to repeat as league champion this season by the Great Plains Athletic Conference coaches. With coaches not allowed to vote for their own team, the Red Raiders garnered eleven of the twelve first place votes and totaled 121 points in the league’s pre-season poll.
Northwestern tied with Jamestown and Concordia for last season’s regular season title and Concordia secured the other first place vote. The Bulldogs were picked second in the poll with 111 points. Jamestown in no longer part of the GPAC, but the league remains at 12 teams with the addition of Waldorf. Dordt was picked eighth out of 12 and had 49 points in the balloting.
The 2024 GPAC volleyball season will consist of 16 conference matches. Northwestern begins the season August 16-17 in Butte, Montana, with matches against Bushnell(OR), Loyola(LA), Embry-Riddle(AZ) and Rocky Mountain(MT). Dordt begins the 2024 campaign on August 17th hosting Mayville State and William Penn at DeWitt Gymnasium.
2024 GPAC Preseason Volleyball Coaches’ Poll:
| RANK | TEAM | POINTS | 1ST PLACE VOTES |
| 1 | NORTHWESTERN | 121 | 11 |
| 2 | CONCORDIA | 111 | 1 |
| 3 | MIDLAND | 101 | |
| 4 | MORNINGSIDE | 85 | |
| 5 | COLLEGE OF SAINT MARY | 82 | |
| 6 | DAKOTA WESLEYAN | 69 | |
| 7 | HASTINGS | 61 | |
| 8 | DORDT | 49 | |
| 9 | DOANE | 45 | |
| 10 | MOUNT MARTY | 27 | |
| 11 | BRIAR CLIFF | 22 | |
| 12 | WALDORF | 19 |
