Illinois Wesleyan will aim for consecutive CCIW regular-season titles for the first time in program history.
NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Less than 12 months removed from earning the outright 2021 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) regular-season crown, Illinois Wesleyan has been chosen by league head coaches to repeat as CCIW women’s volleyball champion in 2022. The Titans received two first-place votes, narrowly besting Millikin by a single point for the top spot in the poll.
2022 CCIW Women’s Volleyball Preseason Coaches Poll
| Team (First Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. Illinois Wesleyan (2) |
56 |
| 2. Millikin (3) |
55 |
| 3. Carthage (4) |
52 |
| 4. North Park |
41 |
| 5. Elmhurst |
40 |
| 6. North Central |
27 |
| 7. Wheaton |
22 |
| 8. Augustana |
20 |
| 9. Carroll |
11 |
The Titans also won the CCIW Tournament championship last season to earn their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2018 and their fourth national postseason berth overall.
Millikin, which tied for fourth place in the conference standings and advanced to the CCIW Tournament semifinals last fall, garnered three first-place votes in Wednesday’s poll to earn 55 points in second place. The Big Blue is in search of its first CCIW title since sweeping the league slate in 2017.
Four league head coaches picked Carthage as the preseason favorite, but the Firebirds were slotted third in the poll with 52 total points. Carthage tied for second place a year ago with a 6-2 mark before falling in the CCIW Tournament championship match. The Firebirds have participated in six of the last seven CCIW Tournament title matches, earning championships in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019.
North Park (41 points) was picked fourth, followed by Elmhurst (40 points), North Central (27 points), Wheaton (22 points), Augustana (20 points) and Carroll (11 points).
Each team will play an 8-match league slate, scheduled to begin on Wednesday, Sept. 14. The regular season officially begins on Thursday, Sept. 1. The top six teams in the final league standings will qualify for the 2022 CCIW Tournament, scheduled to begin Tuesday, Nov. 1.