PORTLAND, Ore. - The Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) has release the preseason poll for the upcoming 2026 volleyball season. Northwest Nazarene was tabbed seventh among the conferences 10 teams.
The preseason poll was voted on by the conference's 10 head coaches, the Nighthawks earned 39 points after finishing the 2025 season with a record of 5-13.
Topping the list was Simon Fraser with 90 points and two first place votes followed by Central Washington with 88 point and six first place votes. The 2025 season saw a four-way tie for first place with five teams qualifying for the NCAA DII West Regional Round.
The Nighthawks finished the 2025 season with a 6-19 overall record and a 5-13 record in GNAC play. Returning senior
Abby Black led the team in kills with 295 and earning First Team All-GNAC honors in the process. Fellow returning senior
Hailey Cheney will look to continue her dominance in the middle as she led the team in blocks with 91, earning Second Team All-GNAC status a year ago.
Morgan Wilding totaled 806 assists and 8.86 assists per set in 2025 which was second in the conference.
NNU will open their season against University of Sioux Falls on August 27 in Seaside, Calif. They will play Dominican (Calif.), Cal State Monterey Bay, and Cal State San Marcos before traveling north to Arcata, Calif. to face Cal Poly Humboldt, No. 7 Nebraska-Kearney, and Rollins College on Sept. 3, 4, and 5. They will open conference play on the road against Western Washington and No. 15 Simon Fraser on Sept. 10 and 12 before hosting No. 16 Alaska Fairbanks and Anchorage on Sept. 17 and 19 to open their home schedule.
| 2026 GNAC Volleyball Preseason Poll |
| Rank |
Team (1st Place Votes) |
Points |
2025 Record |
2025 GNAC Record (Finish) |
| 1 |
Simon Fraser (2) |
90 |
20-5 |
14-4 (T1st) |
| 2 |
Central Washington (6) |
88 |
19-8 |
14-4 (T1st) |
| 3 |
Alaska (2) |
84 |
24-6 |
14-4 (T1st) |
| 4 |
Western Washington |
73 |
19-7 |
13-5 (5th) |
| 5 |
Alaska Anchorage |
60 |
23-6 |
14-4 (T1st) |
| 6 |
Seattle Pacific |
41 |
12-14 |
7-11 (T6th) |
| 7 |
Northwest Nazarene |
39 |
6-19 |
5-13 (8th) |
| 8 |
Saint Martin's |
38 |
14-12 |
7-11 (T6th) |
| 9 |
Western Oregon |
26 |
3-23 |
2-16 (9th) |
| 10 |
Montana St. Billings |
11 |
2-22 |
0-18 (10th) |
| Points awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. |
