ALVA, OKLAHOMA - The Great American Conference released their annual coaches preseason poll Thursday afternoon. Northwestern was selected tied for seventh in the conference alongside East Central. 
 

The poll is voted on by the volleyball coaches around the Great American Conference every year. 
 

Harding was picked first by the conference with 118 total points from nine first place votes from the league. Oklahoma Baptist comes in number two with 107 points including two first place votes. Southwestern Oklahoma State rounds out the top three in the league with 103. 
 

Ouachita Baptist closes out the first place votes receiving the final one for a total of 87 points and a projected fourth place. Southern Nazarene is fifth with 82 points, a head of Arkansas Tech coming in with 58 points. 
 

Northwestern and East Central are locked at 57 each from the coaches tied for seventh. Henderson State is ninth with 51 points accumulated from the league. 
 

Southern Arkansas, Southeastern, and Arkansas Monticello round out the projected standings as SAU finishes with 35 points followed by Southeastern at 19 and Arkansas Monticello at 18. 
 

The Rangers will be led by head coach Jon Bingesser who enters his second season with Northwestern. The Red-and-Black were the runner-up in the Great American Conference tournament last season after making the championship. 
 

Northwestern opens the season on the road with two straight tournaments before opening conference play with the first home game on September 12 against Southeastern Oklahoma State.