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It was not unanimous but there was a clear No. 1 in the inaugural Division II coaches poll.
Lewis earned all but one first-place to receive the top ranking in the Off the Block Division II National Coaches Poll that was released Tuesday.
Lewis (1-1, 0-0 MIVA) started its season with a non-conference home victory against NJIT and a near upset versus BYU during the weekend. In addition, Preseason All-American opposite Mitch Perinar had a match-high 20 kills on a .594 attack percentage in the four-game victory against NJIT.
Concordia-Irvine was the only other school to earn a first-place vote and finished at No. 2. Cal Baptist, McKendree and Barton round-out the five teams in the national coaches poll.
This is the first season of the Off the Block Division II National Coaches Poll, and it is the only national rankings in college men’s volleyball solely for Division II teams.
Both NCAA Division I and NCAA Division II men’s volleyball programs compete for the same national championship. The AVCA National Coaches Poll ranks the top 15 Division I-II men’s volleyball teams and is released each Monday during the regular season.
A national voting committee comprised of coaches from the more than 20 Division II teams determines the weekly rankings for the Division II National Coaches Poll.
Off the Block is a website that launched in 2011 and is the nation’s leader in college men’s volleyball coverage. The Division II National Coaches Poll will be released on the Off the Block website every Tuesday during the regular season.
OFF THE BLOCK DIVISION II NATIONAL COACHES POLL
1. Lewis — 54 (10) points
2. Concordia-Irvine — 34 (1) points
3. Cal Baptist — 29 points
4. McKendree — 19 points
5. Barton — 11 points
Others receiving votes: UC San Diego 8; Lindenwood 7; Coker 1; Limestone 1; Quincy 1