MILWAUKEE, Wis. (naccsports.org) --- Aurora University has been selected as the clear favorite to capture the 2023 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) women's volleyball crown.
The Spartans received 377 points and 17 of a possible 28 first-place votes in the poll, which consists of rankings by each of the league's head coaches and head athletics communications professionals. Concordia University Wisconsin ranked second with 349 points and six first-place votes, while St. Norbert College edged Edgewood College, 334-332, for third place. The Green Knights (four) and Eagles (one) accounted for the final five first-place votes.
Lakeland University ranked fifth with 267 points followed by Benedictine University (256), Wisconsin Lutheran College (220), and Illinois Institute of Technology (196). Concordia University Chicago (159), Dominican University (145), Marian University (132), Milwaukee School of Engineering (78), Rockford University (65), and Alverno College (30) round out this year's poll.
Fall 2022 Recap: Aurora (22-10, 12-1 NACC) and Concordia Wisconsin (19-8, 12-1 NACC) shared the regular-season title last season with the Falcons claiming the top seed in the NACC Tournament due to a 3-1 victory at Aurora in early October. CUW was upset by fourth-seeded St. Norbert (17-14, 10-3 NACC) in straight sets in the semifinals, however. The second-seeded Spartans swept the upset-minded Green Knights in the tournament final to secure the league's automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Championship where they fell to Calvin, 3-1, in a first-round match. Edgewood (20-10, 11-2 NACC), Lakeland (16-14, 8-5 NACC), and Benedictine (14-14, 8-5 NACC) also qualified for the NACC Tournament.
Aurora senior outside hitter Sydnei Avery - the 2022 NACC Player of the Year - was named an AVCA Division III First Team All-American, while CUW junior middle Maycee Karpfinger received honorable mention.
New Coaches: There will be three new coaches in the NACC this fall. Andrew Palmer takes charge of the Concordia Chicago program. Palmer, an Aurora University graduate, spent the last three seasons as the head men's coach at Georgetown (Ky.) College where he guided the Tigers to three NAIA national tournaments. Palmer also spent one year as the head men's coach at Urbana (Ohio) University, two years as a men's assistant at Robert Morris (Illinois) University and a total of five seasons (four women's, one men's) on the sidelines at his alma mater.
Carly Wehling is the new head coach at Concordia Wisconsin. Wehling spent the last two seasons at NCAA Division II UNC Pembroke, where she led the Braves to 44 victories and the first NCAA tournament appearance in the 49-year history of the program. Prior to that, Wehling helped lead Indian Hills Community College to 50 victories over two seasons, including a 36-5 mark during a 2019 season that culminated in a trip to the NJCAA national championships. She also spent three seasons at Montana State Billings and one year at Waldorf.
The final change on the sidelines is at Alverno, where Kevin Buettner is an old face in a new place. Buettner spent the last two seasons at Concordia Wisconsin, serving as interim head coach during the 2022 campaign. Before joining CUW as an assistant, Buettner accumulated 18 years of experience at the club and high school levels.
2023 Schedule: The 2023 schedule gets underway Friday, Sept. 1 with 16 matches involving 11 NACC schools. Edgewood takes to the court for the first time with a pair of matches the following day (Saturday, Sept. 2), while Alverno opens Tuesday, Sept. 5 with a match at Lawrence University. Rockford is the final NACC progam to begin its season, making the short trip to Beloit College on Wednedsay, Sept. 6.
The league slate begins with seven matches the week of Sept. 11-15. Rockford hosts Concordia Wisconsin in the league lid-lifter on Tuesday, Sept. 12, followed by Aurora hosting Marian and Concordia Chicago hosting Wisconsin Lutheran the following day (Wednesday, Sept. 13). The final four matches - St. Norbert at Dominican, Edgewood hosting Alverno, Benedictine welcoming Lakeland, and MSOE venturing to Illinois Tech - all take place on Thursday, Sept. 14.
NACC Tournament: In a change to the tournament structure, the top eight teams qualifying for the league's postseason tournament for the first time since 2013. First-round games are slated for Tuesday, Nov. 7, followed by semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 9, and the tournament final on Saturday, Nov. 11. The tournament champion receives the NACC's automatic berth into the 2023 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship.
2023 NACC Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll
| Institution |
Points |
| Aurora (17) |
377 |
| Concordia Wisconsin (6) |
349 |
| St. Norbert (4) |
334 |
| Edgewood (1) |
332 |
| Lakeland |
267 |
| Benedictine |
256 |
| Wisconsin Lutheran |
220 |
| Illinois Tech |
196 |
| Concordia Chicago |
159 |
| Dominican |
145 |
| Marian |
132 |
| MSOE |
78 |
| Rockford |
65 |
| Alverno |
30 |
Note: First-place votes in parentheses.