Contact: Alex Mielcarz, North Central College Athletics Communication Graduate Assistant, ajmielcarz@noctrl.edu
AVCA Poll
NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Jan. 20, 2026) – After a five-set thriller to open the regular season last Thursday, the North Central men's volleyball program comes in at No. 20 in the latest AVCA Division III Men's Volleyball Poll. The Cardinals dropped two spots this week, having been tabbed as the No. 18 team in Division III in the AVCA Preseason Poll.Â
The Cardinals fell behind in their opening match against Illinois Institute of Technology 2-0 but came back to win it 3-2 thanks to record-setting performances by PJ Vaughan, Brannen Almarales and Elijah Landeros.
College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin foe Carthage College received three first-place votes after a 2-0 start to the year, good enough for the No. 2 spot in the country. Loras College, a CCIW men's volleyball member school, stays steady at No. 14 after an opening week win.
Springfield College, despite its loss to Concordia Irvine in straight sets, maintains its spot atop the poll. Juniata College rounds out the top three.
The Cardinals open a seven-game home stretch this Thursday at 7 p.m. with a match against Concordia University Chicago and follow that up with another home match just 46 hours later, taking on Benedictine University at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
