The Northwest Missouri State University volleyball team has been picked to finish in a tie for sixth in the preseason MIAA coaches poll.

The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association announced the results of its preseason coaches poll for the 2025 volleyball season. The Lopers of Nebraska Kearney were selected to finish at the top of the league once again by MIAA head coaches.
 
Defending MIAA regular season champion Nebraska Kearney is the coaches' favorite to take home the 2025 crown after collecting 119 points and the majority first-place votes with nine. The Lopers captured last year's regular season title with a league record of 15-1, and ended the season in the opening round of the NCAA postseason with an overall record of 30-3.
 
Kearney returns its fifth-year setter Peyton Neff, who led the league with 12.34 assists per set last season. Also returning for the Lopers is Abby Rose, whose .335 hitting percentage ranked fourth in the MIAA, and Mia Berg, who ranked second in the league with 3.83 points per set and third with 1.15 blocks per set last season.
 
Central Oklahoma secured the No. 2 spot in the coaches' preseason poll with 111 points and the remaining three first-place selections. The Bronchos finished the 2024 season with an MIAA record of 14-2 and led the league with 33 total wins last season (33-3). Central Oklahoma defeated Nebraska Kearney in the 2024 MIAA postseason volleyball championship to advance to the NCAA postseason. The Bronchos made it to the NCAA Division II's final four, where they fell in the national quarterfinals to San Francisco State.
 
Washburn finished third in the coaches poll with 98 points with Missouri Western close behind in fourth with 96 points. The Ichabods were 11-5 in the league last season and 21-9. The Griffons ended the 2024 season with a league record of 12-4 and 23-8 overall. Both teams received at-large berths into the NCAA postseason, where the Griffons suffered a first-round loss to Concordia-St. Paul and the Ichabods fell to Central Oklahoma in the regional semifinals.
 
Central Missouri concluded the coaches' top five with 73 points. Emporia State and Northwest Missouri State both collected 69 points in the poll to finish in a tie for sixth. Fort Hays State was picked No. 8 with 45 points and Pittsburg State finished in the 10 spot with 43 points. Missouri Southern was picked No. 11 and Newman concluded the poll at No. 12.
 
The 2025 NCAA Division II volleyball season officially begins the first week of September with MIAA teams playing all across the country starting September 4-5. The first MIAA matches will begin September 25-26 with the league's 2025 postseason tournament set for November 20-22 in St. Joseph, Mo.
 
To view the complete 2025 schedules for all 12 MIAA volleyball teams, visit theMIAA.com/volleyball.
 
2025 MIAA VOLLEYBALL PRESEASON RANKINGS
1. Nebraska Kearney [9] – 119 points
2. Central Oklahoma [3] – 111 points
3. Washburn – 98 points
4. Missouri Western – 96 points
5. Central Missouri – 73 points
T6. Emporia State – 69 points
T6. Northwest Missouri State – 69 points
8. Fort Hays State – 45 points
9. Pittsburg State – 43 points
10. Arkansas-Fort Smith – 35 points
11. Missouri Southern – 23 points
12. Newman – 12 points 
[#] - Number of First Place Votes