KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwestern (Iowa) has claimed the No. 1 spot in the latest NAIA Women’s Volleyball National Selection Committee (NSC) Top 25 Poll after moving up one position, fielding a 21-1 record.
Three conferences are represented in the Top 5 teams: Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC), Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) and Heart of America Athletic Conference.
Two teams made the largest jumps, moving up four and five spots, while two teams remained at the same rank as the last NSC Poll. Don’t forget to check out the three new teams that are making their NSC Poll debut this week.
The movement sets up a competitive stretch as the Battle for the Red Banner continues.
NWC is on an 18-match win streak and has not lost since Aug. 22 to Eastern Oregon. The team is currently perfect in GPAC play at 11-0. The Red Raiders have five matches in conference to close out the regular season as they take on Morningside (Iowa), Briar Cliff (Iowa), Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.), Mount Marty (S.D.) and Dordt (Iowa).
Stella Winterfeld leads Northwestern by a huge margin with 344 kills on the season for 4.85 kills per set. Only two other players have hit triple-digit kills this season for the Red Raiders: Maddy Sampson (145) and Halie Kapelke (135). Aubrey De Groot and Sampson are both nearing one block per set, averaging 0.93 and 0.92, respectively.
EOU drops after first loss of the season to Corban (Ore.). The Mountaineers have six matches left on their regular season schedule facing Oregon Tech, Southern Oregon, College of Idaho, Warner Pacific (Ore.), Walla Walla (Wash.) and Lewis-Clark State (Idaho).
Kiera Vaughn leads the team with 318 kills on the season, averaging 3.93 kills per set. Vaughn is closely followed by Brooke Womack with 233 kills on the season, averaging 2.88 kills per set. EOU boasts a more balanced attack with five different players boasting triple-digit kills on the season. Jule Whitley leads the defensive effort at the net with 1.23 blocks per set and is just two blocks away from 100 blocks this season, while Jaycee Villastrigo and Womack lead the defensive effort in the back court with 3.48 and 2.96 digs per set, respectively.
CUNE is one of only two teams that remained at the same rank as the previous NSC Poll. The Bulldogs have only lost to Northwestern (Iowa), Indiana Wesleyan and Corban (Ore.). The team has four matches remaining on their regular season schedule and are slated to face Midland (Neb.), Hastings (Neb.), Dordt (Iowa) and Doane (Neb.).
Shandy Faalii leads the Bulldogs with 288 kills this season, averaging 3.6 per set. Three other players are in triple-digit kills: Samanthan Kimbell, Makenna Starkey and Bella Hedke. Starkey also leads the defensive effort at the net with one block per set. Hedke follows closely behind with .97 blocks per set, with the pair being only two blocks apart.
MBU makes the biggest jump in this week’s poll by five spots. The Spartans have not dropped a match since their loss to Northwestern (Iowa) on Aug. 29, giving them an 18-match win streak. Missouri Baptist recently won against Benedictine (Kan.) to take the lead in the Heart of America Athletic Conference standings as the only Heart team to remain undefeated in the conference.
Fernanda Perini and Ashlynn Hughes lead the Spartans with over 200 kills this season and are averaging 3.05 and 2.53 kills per set, respectively. Three others boast triple-digit numbers: Herdie Castillo (163), Isabella Munari (154) and Alohilani Bursey (137). MBU boasts four players blocking at an average over one block per set: Perini (1.38), Emma Hlavsa (1.29), Castillo (1.06) and Hughes (1.02).
College of Idaho is on a five-game win streak as the team bounces back from its loss to Eastern Oregon at the end of September. The Yotes have six matches left on their regular season slate against Southern Oregon, Oregon Tech, Eastern Oregon, Warner Pacific, Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) and Walla Walla (Wash.).
Five players for the Yotes have surpassed triple-digit kills this season: Jessica Stires (167), Abigail Flerchinger (111), Kelsy Stanger (116), Alexa Wheeler (148) and Cierra Bohrn (133), making for a lethal front line. Addison McKarcher and Wheeler both lead the defensive effort at the net, averaging over one block per set with 1.44 and 1.11, respectively.
| TREND | RANK | LAST TIME | INSTITUTION | RECORD |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ▲ | 1 | 2 | Northwestern (Iowa) | 21-1 |
| ▼ | 2 | 1 | Eastern Oregon | 24-1 |
| ● | 3 | 3 | Concordia (Neb.) | 20-3 |
| ▲ | 4 | 9 | Missouri Baptist | 23-2 |
| ▲ | 5 | 8 | College of Idaho | 20-1 |
| ▼ | 6 | 5 | Corban (Ore.) | 17-6 |
| ▼ | 7 | 6 | Aquinas (Mich.) | 30-1 |
| ▼ | 8 | 4 | Morningside (Iowa) | 20-5 |
| ▲ | 9 | 10 | St. Thomas (Fla.) | 16-5 |
| ▲ | 10 | 14 | McPherson (Kan.) | 21-2 |
| ▲ | 11 | 12 | Taylor (Ind.) | 23-5 |
| ▼ | 12 | 7 | Bellevue (Neb.) | 19-3 |
| ▲ | 13 | 16 | Indiana Wesleyan | 18-8 |
| ▼ | 14 | 11 | Midland (Neb.) | 17-7 |
| ▼ | 15 | 13 | Grace (Ind.) | 23-4 |
| ▼ | 16 | 15 | Southeastern (Fla.) | 15-4 |
| ● | 17 | 17 | Nelson (Texas) | 19-4 |
| ▲ | 18 | 21 | Dordt (Iowa) | 17-7 |
| ▲ | 19 | NR | Viterbo (Wis.) | 22-5 |
| ▼ | 20 | 18 | The Master’s (Calif.) | 14-7 |
| ▼ | 21 | 19 | Cornerstone (Mich.) | 19-5 |
| ▼ | 22 | 20 | Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | 16-4 |
| ▲ | 23 | NR | IU Kokomo (Ind.) | 19-6 |
| ▼ | 24 | 22 | Southern Oregon | 17-7 |
| ▲ | 25 | NR | Cumberlands (Ky.) | 23-4 |
A team’s ranking in the NAIA National Selection Committee (NSC) Poll does not guarantee a corresponding seed in the national championship.
About the NAIA
The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small college athletics programs dedicated to character-driven, education-based athletics. Since 1937, the NAIA has balanced high-level competition with holistic student-athlete development through its commitment to The Right Way to Play®. Each year more than 87,000 NAIA student-athletes compete in college athletics, earn over $1.3 billion in financial aid, and pursue opportunities to participate in 30 national championships. naia.org | @NAIA | #TheRightWayToPlay
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