The NAIA Women’s Volleyball notebook will bring featured content throughout the regular season. With the opening serves of the 2026 season happening today, programs around the NAIA are preparing to turn preseason expectations into on-court results. Opening weekend offers the first glimpse of what could unfold this fall as teams begin the 2026 Battle for the Red Banner.
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For the first time in program history, Northwestern College women’s volleyball will begin a season atop the NAIA rankings, as the Red Raiders were voted No. 1 in the 2026 NAIA Preseason Coaches’ Top 25 Poll.
The ranking is the latest milestone for a program that has established itself among the nation’s elite. With the preseason poll, Northwestern will have appeared in 69 consecutive NAIA polls dating back to the 2016 season, the second-longest active streak in the NAIA behind only Eastern Oregon.
The Red Raiders enter the new campaign following another remarkable season in 2025. Northwestern advanced to the NAIA National Championship match for the second time in the last three seasons and continued its dominance within the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). The Red Raiders went undefeated in conference play for the second consecutive year, surrendering just four sets during the regular season.
Northwestern has also enjoyed an unprecedented run of success in league competition, capturing each of the last three GPAC regular-season championships and GPAC tournament titles.
A talented and experienced core returns for 2026, led by senior Stella Winterfeld. The 2025 GPAC Player of the Year earned First Team NAIA All-America honors last season and headlines a group that returns eight players from the team’s regular rotation.
Third Team All-American Maddy Sampson is back for another season, while All-GPAC performers Nyah Potthoff and Sidney Oostra also return to help anchor a veteran lineup. With the majority of last year’s contributors back on the court, Northwestern enters the season with both experience and championship aspirations.
Head coach Kyle Van Den Bosch said the preseason recognition is a testament to what the team has accomplished, but the focus remains firmly on continued growth and improvement.
“We are incredibly excited about this team and the season ahead. It is a nice honor to be ranked #1 in the preseason poll. We know we have an awesome schedule of opponents to play this preseason, along with the rugged GPAC schedule. Our goals are always the same: we want our players to grow in their faith throughout the season, be the best teammates they can be and be playing our best volleyball at the end of the season. We are focused on stacking good practices together and taking steps of improvement each day.”
Head Coach Kyle Van Den Bosch
With a historic preseason ranking, a veteran roster, and a championship foundation already in place, Northwestern will open the 2026 season with high expectations and its sights set on another deep postseason run.
The No. 1 squad will take the court for the first time in the 2026 season at the Hope International Tournament on August 21 against The Master’s (Calif.). For the teams full schedule CLICK HERE.
| DATE | STATUS/TIME | AWAY | HOME |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug. 14 | 12:00 PM | RV Texas Wesleyan | 10 Cumberlands (Ky.) |
| Aug. 14 | 11:30 AM | 2 Eastern Oregon | RV CIU (S.C.) |
| Aug. 14 | 6:30 PM | RV Taylor (Ind.) | 14 St. Thomas (Fla.) |
| Aug. 14 | 7:00 PM | RV CIU (S.C.) | RV Cumberland (Tenn.) |
| Aug. 14 | 11:00 PM | 12 Oklahoma Wesleyan | 6 Providence (Mont.) |
| Aug. 15 | 2:00 PM | 2 Eastern Oregon | RV Cumberland (Tenn.) |
Coming August 25
| TREND | RANK | LAST TIME | INSTITUTION [FIRST-PLACE VOTES] | 2025 RECORD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▲ | 1 | 2 | Northwestern (Iowa) [5] | 33-4 |
| ▲ | 2 | 3 | Eastern Oregon [2] | 32-3 |
| ▲ | T-3 | 4 | Concordia (Neb.) | 28-4 |
| ▼ | T-3 | 1 | Indiana Wesleyan [9] | 33-4 |
| ● | 5 | 5 | Corban (Ore.) | 27-6 |
| ● | 6 | 6 | Providence (Mont.) | 34-3 |
| ▲ | 7 | 8 | McPherson (Kan.) | 34-3 |
| ▼ | 8 | 7 | Bellevue (Neb.) | 29-5 |
| ▲ | 9 | 10 | Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) | 27-9 |
| ▼ | 10 | 9 | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 36-1 |
| ● | 11 | 11 | Missouri Baptist | 31-6 |
| ▲ | 12 | 13 | Oklahoma Wesleyan | 26-5 |
| ▼ | 13 | 12 | IU Kokomo (Ind.) | 32-6 |
| ● | 14 | 14 | St. Thomas (Fla.) | 27-5 |
| ▲ | 15 | 16 | The Master’s (Calif.) | 24-5 |
| ▲ | 16 | 18 | Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) | 20-12 |
| ● | 17 | 17 | Aquinas (Mich.) | 33-7 |
| ▲ | 18 | 20 | College of Idaho | 21-10 |
| ▼ | 19 | 15 | Bushnell (Ore.) | 22-13 |
| ▲ | 20 | 21 | Midland (Neb.) | 19-12 |
| ▲ | 21 | 23 | Cornerstone (Mich.) | 27-9 |
| ▲ | 22 | RV | Southern Oregon | 16-12 |
| ▼ | 23 | 19 | Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | 18-9 |
| ▼ | 24 | 22 | Mobile (Ala.) | 30-5 |
| ● | 25 | 25 | Viterbo (Wis.) | 27-7 |
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