Northern Iowa has been picked in a poll of Missouri Valley Conference head coaches to win the 2026 MVC Volleyball title.
The Panthers, who earned nine first-place votes and 119 total points in the poll, are coming off their fourth straight regular-season and tournament titles. Head coach Bobbi Petersen, who is entering her 27th season at the helm, has guided UNI to a 69-1 record in Valley play over the last four seasons.
Drake, which received 96 points and one first-place vote, was picked to finish second. The Bulldogs added four transfers and five rookies to the squad ahead of 2026. Drake has advanced to the MVC Championship match in three of the last four seasons.
Earning 88 total points, finishing third in the preseason poll, was Valparaiso. Valpo has posted 20-plus wins in 19 of the last 24 seasons, including the 2025 campaign where it saw its best placement in the regular-season standings since joining The Valley. The Beacons return 11 letterwinners from last year’s squad, a group which accounted for more than half of the team’s kills and blocks last season.
Belmont and UIC each received 83 points in the poll, while the Flames picked up a first-place vote. Belmont is led by second-year head coach, Fritz Rosenberg, who lost just four players, including three seniors, from last year’s squad, as the Bruins are set to face eight Top 100 opponents this season. UIC has finished in the top four in the MVC standings in each of its four seasons as a Conference member, averaging 12 Valley wins and more than 20 overall victories during that four-year span. This year’s diverse UIC roster features a strong mix of returning veterans and newcomers, while eight different countries are represented.
Rounding out the top half of the poll is Illinois State, which garnered 73 total points. The Redbirds return seven key players from last year’s squad, including a trio that registered over 100 kills apiece, and both of the teams’ setters from a season ago.
2026 MVC Volleyball Preseason Poll (Top 6)
Number in parenthesis is the number of first-place votes
1. Northern Iowa (9) – 119 pts.
2. Drake (1) – 96 pts.
3. Valparaiso – 88 pts.
4. Belmont – 83 pts.
UIC (1) – 83 pts.
6. Illinois State – 73 pts.
A total of eight student-athletes were honored as part of the preseason all-conference team. Four of the league’s 11 programs had at least one student-athlete recognized as UNI led the way with four honorees.
2026 MVC Volleyball Preseason All-MVC
Alphabetized by school and last name; 8 members due to a tie in the voting
Gracie Furlong (OH), Bradley
Tendai Titley (OH), Bradley
Ruth Ziegler (RS), Illinois State
Maryn Bixby (MB), Northern Iowa
Lily Dykstra (OH/RS), Northern Iowa
Cassidy Hartman (OH), Northern Iowa
Jadyn Petersen (DS/L), Northern Iowa
Ava Helming (RS), Valparaiso
