MILWAUKEE, Wis. (naccsports.org) --- Three-time defending champion Edgewood University has been selected as the favorite to capture the 2026 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) women's volleyball crown.
The Eagles received 329 points and 21 of a possible 26 first-place votes in the poll, which consists of rankings by each of the league's head coaches and head athletics communications professionals. Aurora University placed second with 305 points and four first-place votes, while St. Norbert College (273) took third place ahead of Lakeland University (262) and Concordia University Wisconsin (250). The Green Knights also secured the final first-place vote.
Illinois Institute of Technology edged Wisconsin Lutheran College by three markers (186-183) for sixth place, while Benedictine University (160) and Milwaukee School of Engineering (141) are expected to fight for eighth place and the presumptive final spot in this year's NACC Tournament. Marian University (89), Concordia University Chicago (79), Rockford University (66), and Dominican University (43) round out this year's poll.
Fall 2025 Recap: Edgewood (25-7, 13-0 NACC) emerged atop the league standings by two games over both Aurora University (22-9, 11-2 NACC) and St. Norbert College (22-9, 11-2 NACC) to win the program's sixth NACC regular-season title and capture the top seed in the NACC Tournament. The Eagles then swept rival Benedictine, 3-0, in the first round before outlasting fifth-seeded Concordia Wisconsin in a five-set semifinal to set up a championship matchup with No. 3-seed Aurora. The Spartans recorded wins over No. 6-seed Wisconsin Lutheran (3-1) and No. 7-seed Illinois Tech (3-0) to secure their spot.
Edgewood won a tight first set in the final, but was able to complete the sweep over Aurora (25-23, 25-15, 25-18) for the program's third-straight NACC Tournament title.
Edgewood secured the NACC's automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Championship, falling to Gustavus Adolphus, 3-1, in a first-round match.
Edgewood senior outside hitter Katie Borchert was named the NACC Player of the Year, while Concordia Wisconsin senior defensive specialist/libero Brianna Lundt was named NACC Defensive Player of the Year and Lakeland outside hitter Samya Hughes was picked as the NACC Freshman of the Year. Additionally, the Edgewood coaching staff led by Paul Schlomer was recognized by its peers as the NACC Coaching Staff of the Year.
Borchert was also named NACC Tournament Most Valuable Player and was an AVCA All-Region First Team selection.
2026 Schedule: The 2026 schedule gets underway Tuesday, Sept. 1 with nine matches involving eight of 13 NACC schools as Wisconsin Lutheran hosts Luther, Concordia Wisconsin travels to UW-Whitewater, Marian entertains Lawrence, Concordia Chicago welcomes North Central (Ill.), St. Norbert makes the short drive to Ripon, Rockford hosts Beloit, Lakeland welcomes Carthage, and Aurora faces Wartburg and host Illinois Wesleyan in a triangular.
Four of the five remaining programs get underway Friday, Sept. 4. Benedictine faces Blackburn and Buena Vista at the CUC Quadrangular, Dominican travels to Eureka, MSOE faces St. John Fisher at the Albion (Mich.) Invitational, and Illinois Tech tackles host Wittenberg to open the Wittenberg Invitational.
Edgewood will be the final program to open the season, facing Earlham and Rose-Hulman on Saturday, Sept. 5 at the University of Chicago Rosalie Resch Invitational.
The league slate begins on Wednesday, Sept. 23 and Thursday, Sept. 24. On Wednesday, Illinois Tech hosts Aurora, Concordia Chicago travels to Rockford, and Benedictine entertains Concordia Wisconsin. The following day, Dominican hosts MSOE, St. Norbert welcomes Marian, and Lakeland travels to Edgewood. Wisconsin Lutheran drew the opening-round bye and will host Marian to open its league slate Wednesday, Sept. 30.
The NACC slate concludes with five matches scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 7.
NACC Tournament: The top eight teams in the final regular-season standings will qualify for the league's postseason tournament. First-round games are slated for Tuesday, Nov. 10, followed by semifinals on Thursday, Nov. 12, and the tournament final on Saturday, Nov. 14. The tournament champion receives the NACC's automatic berth into the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship.
2026 NACC Women's Volleyball Preseason Poll
| Institution |
Points |
| Edgewood (21) |
329 |
| Aurora (4) |
305 |
| St. Norbert (1) |
273 |
| Lakeland |
262 |
| Concordia Wisconsin |
250 |
| Illinois Tech |
186 |
| Wisconsin Lutheran |
183 |
| Benedictine |
160 |
| MSOE |
141 |
| Marian |
89 |
| Concordia Chicago |
79 |
| Rockford |
66 |
| Dominican |
43 |
Note: First-place votes in parentheses.