NAPERVILLE – North Park is the coaches’ choice to defend its College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) women’s volleyball title after the Vikings claimed the top spot in the league’s preseason poll released on Tuesday morning.
| CCIW Preseason Women's Volleyball Coaches' Poll |
| Team (First-place votes) |
Points |
| 1. North Park (6) |
62 |
| 2. Carthage (2) |
55 |
| 3. Millikin (1) |
49 |
| 4. Illinois Wesleyan |
47 |
| 5. Augustana |
31 |
| T6. Elmhurst |
25 |
| T6. North Central |
25 |
| 8. Wheaton |
21 |
| 9. Carroll |
9 |
The Vikings – the preseason CCIW favorite for the second time in a row – collected six first-place votes for a league-high 62 points in ballots submitted by league head coaches during the first two weeks of August. Last season, NPU swept the conference schedule to win its first-ever CCIW regular-season crown and later won its second consecutive CCIW Tournament title.
Carthage – which has played in the last six CCIW Tournament championship matches – was picked second in the 2024 poll. The Firebirds tallied 55 points, including two first-place votes. CC has finished among the top three in the final league standings in each of the last six seasons, including outright titles in 2019 and 2022.
The final first-place vote was cast for Millikin, which landed third in Tuesday’s announcement with 49 points. The Big Blue will enter the campaign under the direction of first-year head coach Whitney Nichols.
Just two points behind MU was Illinois Wesleyan, which slotted fourth in the preseason poll. The Titans were a CCIW Tournament semifinalist last fall and tied for third place in the 2023 regular-season standings.
Augustana’s point total of 31 placed the Vikings fifth. Elmhurst and North Central tied for sixth position with 25 points apiece, while Wheaton was eighth with 21 points and Carroll was ninth with nine points.
Friday, Aug. 30 is opening day of the NCAA Division III volleyball season, a day in which CCIW squads are scheduled to compete in 14 matches. The first date of the CCIW schedule is Wednesday, Sept. 18.
Follow the CCIW
|
CCIW on X |
CCIW Instagram |
CCIW Facebook |
The College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) was founded in 1946 and currently services nine member institutions including Augustana College (Rock Island, Ill.), Carroll University (Waukesha, Wis.), Carthage College (Kenosha, Wis.), Elmhurst University (Elmhurst, Ill.), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.), Millikin University (Decatur, Ill.), North Central College (Naperville, Ill.), North Park University (Chicago, Ill.) and Wheaton College (Wheaton, Ill.).