LEXINGTON, Ky. - After knocking on the door all season, the University of Northwestern Volleyball team has finally broken into the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division III Top 25 Poll. The Eagles have received votes in the poll every week in 2026, but had remained on the outside, looking in, peaking at No. 27 in the past two weeks. At long last, after another 2-0 week featuring a pair of conference sweeps, Northwestern has found its way into the top 25, coming in at No. 24.

Click here to see the full AVCA poll.

UNW's road sweeps at Minnesota Morris and Crown were enough to get it over the top and into the top 25 at 16-4 overall and 8-0 in the UMAC. Northwestern is the top-ranked team in Minnesota after jumping its Wednesday-night opponent, St. Olaf, who fell in the "receiving votes" pool from 26th to 30th this week. Several prior opponents of the Eagles were featured in the top 25, including UW-Oshkosh, who held steady at No. 3. Juniata, whom UNW swept in September, moved up from 10th to ninth, while UW-Eau Claire remained at No. 14. Dubuque fell one spot from No. 15 to No. 16, while Bethel (28th) and UW-Platteville (42nd) once again received votes.

The Eagles will square off with (RV) St. Olaf in a big match Wednesday at 7:00 PM in the Ericksen Center.