BURNSVILLE, Minn. – The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference released its 2026 volleyball preseason coaches poll on Wednesday morning, with Concordia-St. Paul picked to repeat as NSIC champions, while junior Makenna Nold was named the NSIC Preseason Player of the Year.

The Golden Bears, who finished as co-champions alongside Wayne State (Neb.) last season, were picked to finish atop the conference once again with a total of 220 points, receiving 11 of the possible 15 first-place votes.

Wayne State was picked second with 207 points and three first-place votes, while defending NSIC Tournament Champion St. Cloud State was third with 199 points and the other two first-place votes. 

Looking ahead at his 2026 squad, Head Coach Brady Starkey stated, "Our team excites me this year because we have a gym filled with athletes that love to compete every day. They are a really close group who have a ton of personality and are truly a funny group to work with. They are relentless with their ability to humorously rip on each other and feed off their good natured ribbing. We have some funny incoming athletes that I think will fit in great with their energy and effort."

Junior Makenna Nold was named the NSIC Preseason Player of the Year. Last season, Nold was named the AVCA Division II National Player of the Year, the AVCA Central Region Player of the Year, and the NSIC Player of the Year. She started all 37 matches for CSP as a sophomore, leading the NSIC and ranking 11^th in Division II with 4.40 kills per set.

"Makenna had an amazing sophomore season for us and was a large reason for our success last year," said Starkey. "The scary thing is, she keeps getting better and has the desire and effort to continue to improve. She is a blast to coach because she comes with a ton of personality and energy every day to practice, and that energy really has a strong impact on her teammates."

The Golden Bears, who made their 12^th appearance in the national title match last season before ultimately finishing as Division II Runners-Up, will get the 2026 slate underway at the Cedarville (Ohio) Invitational with matches against Gannon (Pa.) and Missouri St. Louis on Friday, August 28.

The NSIC regular season champion will be determined by the 20-match conference schedule. The 2026 NSIC Volleyball Tournament shall be an eight-team tournament with the quarterfinals hosted at the top four seeds on Tuesday, November 10, and the semifinals/championship matches hosted at the highest remaining seed. The semifinals/championship matches will take place on two consecutive days between Friday and Sunday, November 13-15, with the dates of competition determined by the host institution.