KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Northwestern volleyball team has moved up one spot in the NAIA Top 25 Poll, rising to No. 6.
Northwestern has been ranked in 62 consecutive NAIA top 25 polls dating back to the 2016 season, which is second in the nation behind Eastern Oregon.
Eastern Oregon’s 8-0 start moved them into the top spot for the first time since 2022, while Concordia (Neb.), Bellevue (Neb.), Corban (Ore.), and Providence (Mont.) completed the rest of the top five.
GPAC play begins this weekend as Northwestern takes on Dordt on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. in Sioux Center. Northwestern’s home opener will be on Wednesday, September 10 at 7:30 p.m. against Dakota Wesleyan.
RANK PRV SCHOOL RECORD POINTS
1 5 Eastern Oregon, 8-0 507
2 4 Concordia (Neb.), 7-1 484
3 2 Bellevue (Neb.), 4-1 475
4 3 Corban (Ore.), 6-1 471
5 10 Providence (Mont.), 7-1 417
6 7 Northwestern (Iowa), 6-2 410
7 1 Indiana Wesleyan, 4-3 409
8 13 Oklahoma Wesleyan, 6-1 369
9 11 McPherson (Kan.), 8-1 353
10 18 College of Idaho, 6-1 338
11 19 Missouri Baptist 8-2 333
12 16 Viterbo (Wis.) 4-4 298
13 9 St. Thomas (Fla.) 6-3 295
14 23 The Master’s (Calif.) 7-1 290
15 14 Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) 6-3 232
16 22 Marian (Ind.) 8-1 231
17 20 Midland (Neb.) 4-5 213
18 8 IU Kokomo (Ind.) 5-4 206
19 6 Southern Oregon 3-4 156
20 RV Cumberlands (Ky.) 7-0 153
21 17 Montana Tech 4-2 135
22 RV Taylor (Ind.) 9-3 84
23 RV Spring Arbor (Mich.) 12-0 83
24 RV Dakota State (S.D.) 4-0 80
24 15 Aquinas (Mich.) 5-3 80
Receiving Votes: Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 74, Carroll (Mont.) 70, William Carey (Miss.) 52, Morningside (Iowa) 49, Mobile (Ala.) 48, Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 42, Grand View (Iowa) 37, Cumberland (Tenn.) 36, Montana Western 33, Central Methodist (Mo.) 23, Nelson (Texas) 20, MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 19, Northwest (Wash.) 17, Oregon Tech 16, Texas Wesleyan 16, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) 15, Park (Mo.) 12, Cornerstone (Mich.) 12, CIU (S.C.) 10, Indiana Tech 8, Valley City State (N.D.) 5, Columbia (Mo.) 5, Bethel (Kan.) 4, Grace (Ind.) 2
The Raiders have opened the year with a 6-2 record, facing a challenging non-conference schedule. Stella Winterfeld and Zavyr Metzger have led the way offensively so far, posting 75 and 65 kills, respectively. On the defensive side, Metzger has stifled opponents with 1.89 blocks per set to lead the NAIA, while Tierney Huss has settled into the libero position with 99 digs on the year.
