Wittenberg Unanimous Favorite in NCAC Volleyball Preseason Poll

CLEVELAND, OH – Defending North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) champion Wittenberg has been unanimously selected to repeat as the NCAC Volleyball Champion, according to balloting of the league's coaches.
 
The Tigers earned all eight first-place votes and totaled 64 points to top the 2026 poll. John Carroll placed second with 55 points, while Denison edged Ohio Wesleyan for third. The Big Red collected 43 points, just two points ahead of the Battling Bishops, who earned 41 points. DePauw followed in fifth with 37 points, while Oberlin (17), Wooster (16), and Kenyon (15) rounded out the eight-team field.
 
Under the guidance of ninth-year head coach Evelyn Miller, assistant coach Tom Supan, and volunteer assistants Pat Carus and Taylor Campbell, who were named the 2025 NCAC Coaching Staff of the Year, the Tigers return three all-conference performers from a team that went 7-0 in NCAC play, 21-8 overall, and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Championship. Junior setter Mary Sulfridge (South Charleston, OH/Southeastern) returns to the floor after a first-team all-conference season in which she also earned NCAC Player and Setter of the Year honors. Across 106 sets, Sulfridge recorded 994 assists, averaging 9.38 assists per set to lead the conference. In NCAC play, she orchestrated one of the league's most efficient offenses, leading the Tigers to conference-best marks in hitting percentage (.283), assists per set (12.48), kills per set (14.10), and total points (18.83). Also returning from the first team is junior right side/middle blocker Kait Colahan (Vermilion, OH/Vermilion), who ranked among the conference leaders in multiple statistical categories, finishing first in hitting percentage (.337), second in kills per set (3.01), fourth in points per set (3.40), and eighth in total kills (226). Junior middle blocker Clare O'Malley (Avon, OH/St. Joseph's Academy) earned second-team All-NCAC recognition in 2025 and finished the season ranked third in the conference in total blocks (97), fourth in blocks per set (.91), sixth in hitting percentage (.284), and seventh in total kills (227).

The 2026 volleyball season begins September 1st, with all eight conference teams competing in non-conference action, while the first NCAC matchups will take place on September 26th with Kenyon at Wooster, John Carroll traveling to Ohio Wesleyan, Wittenberg hosting Denison, and Oberlin at DePauw.
 
2026 North Coast Athletic Conference
Volleyball Coaches' Poll
Place Institution (1st Place Votes) Total Points
1 Wittenberg (8) 64
2 John Carroll 55
3 Denison 43
4 Ohio Wesleyan 41
5 DePauw 37
6 Oberlin 17
7 Wooster 16
8 Kenyon 15
 
 
 

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