Ashland Volleyball Sits At No. 6 In Initial D-II NPI Regional Rankings

For the first time in NCAA Division II, the NCAA Power Index (NPI) was revealed for regional volleyball rankings on Monday (Oct. 19) morning, and Ashland University sits at No. 6 in the Midwest Region in those initial rankings.
 
The Eagles are 17-5 overall and 11-1 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference – best in the league. AU's next match will be at 6 p.m. on Friday (Oct. 23) at Thomas More (7-13, 3-6). That will be the Eagles' sixth of seven straight matches away from the Sherrill Hudson Court at Kates Gymnasium.
 
"Very excited for our program to be ranked among the top eight in our region," said Ashland head coach Alicia Wood. "Proud of the hard work that we have put in this fall so far. We look to continue our success and increase our regional standing, and proud to be near the top in the region, knowing how strong our region is this fall."
 
NPI regional rankings will continue to be released in D-II volleyball on Oct. 26, Nov. 2 (daily thereafter), and Nov. 9. The NCAA Division II volleyball selection show will be on NCAA.com at 10 p.m. on Nov. 15.
 
Ashland volleyball has qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs nine previous times (2004-07, 2012-13, 2016, 2018 and 2022).
 
A 64-team tournament (eight teams in each of eight regions), the D-II postseason will begin on Nov. 19. The 2026 NCAA Division II Championships will be in Kansas City, Mo., from Dec. 3-5.
 
In the Midwest Region, three automatic bids come from the tournament champions in the Great Midwest, Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The other five bids are at-large. Thirty-eight teams are eligible for postseason – 13 from the Great Midwest, 11 from the GLIAC and 14 from the GLVC.
 

TEAM	FIRST RANKING
Ferris State	1
Missouri-St. Louis	2
Grand Valley State	3
Indianapolis	4
Rockhurst	5
ASHLAND UNIVERSITY	6
Ohio Dominican	7
Parkside	8
Saginaw Valley State	9
Lewis	10

 
ETZLER, QUEEN LAUDED ON ALL-MIDWEST CROSSOVER TEAM
Following the conclusion of the 2026 Midwest Region Crossover, junior middle blocker Myia Etzler and senior libero Abbey Queen have been named to the all-tournament team.
 
Etzler set a new Eagle record with seven solo blocks in the match vs. Saginaw Valley State on Friday (Oct. 16), and finished the weekend with 26 kills, a .290 hitting percentage, 23 total blocks (11 solo), three service aces and four digs.
 
On the weekend, Queen collected 63 digs (5.25 per set), and added 17 assists and a service ace.
 
Ashland finished 1-2 at the Crossover.