KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Montana Western leads three Frontier Conference teams in the 2024 preseason NAIA Women's Volleyball Coaches Top 25 Rating, which was released Wednesday.
The Bulldogs, who were picked to win the Frontier this season after winning the conference tournament last year, are ranked 15th in the NAIA poll. Montana Tech is slotted at No. 21, and Providence is at No. 23.
Providence was picked to finish second in the Frontier, while Tech was tied for third with Rocky Mountain College. The Battlin' Bears received votes in the NAIA poll but not enough to crack the top 25.
Reigning NAIA national champion Indiana Wesleyan is the top-ranked team in the NAIA poll, receiving 20 of 21 first-place votes. Northwestern (Iowa) received the only other first-place vote and is ranked second.
Eastern Oregon, Concordia (Neb.) and Viterbo (Wis.) round out the top five. View the complete poll.
Montana Western begins its 2024 season this weekend at the College of Idaho Preseason Tournament in Caldwell, Idaho. The Bulldogs will play No. 5 Viterbo and Morningside (Iowa) on Friday and College of Idaho and No. 3 Eastern Oregon on Saturday. Morningside and C of I both received votes in the NAIA poll, as well.
Providence, Tech and Rocky all open their season alongside fellow Frontier members Carroll College and MSU-Northern at the Big Sky Challenge, which runs Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
