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Two home victories against a top-five nationally ranked team propelled BYU to its highest ranking of the season.
BYU after sweeping a two-match weekend series against UCLA jumped two spots to No. 2 in the latest Off the Block/Springbak, Inc. National Media Poll that was released Tuesday.
All-American opposite Ben Patch had a combined 41 kills and more than a .400 attack percentage in the series to help the Cougars improve to 4-1 versus top-10 ranked teams this season.
Ohio State remained the unanimous No. 1 ranked team in the National Media Poll. The defending NCAA champions swept both Ball State and Fort Wayne last week to extend its winning streak to a program-record 34 matches.
UCLA following its two road losses to BYU dropped two spots to No. 4. In addition, Long Beach State stayed at No. 3 and Hawai’i remained at No. 5 in the national rankings for the second consecutive week.
The Off the Block/Springbak, Inc. National Media Poll is the only rankings in NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball solely determined by media members. The 10 teams receiving the most votes are ranked in the National Media Poll, while other schools earning votes but finishing outside of the top 10 are considered teams receiving votes.
Off the Block is a website that started in January 2011 and has become the nation’s leader in college men’s volleyball coverage. Springbak, Inc. is the official sponsor of the National Media Poll and produces high performance footwear used by professional athletes from the NFL, NBA, MLB and U.S. Olympic teams and the top college teams in the nation.
OFF THE BLOCK/SPRINGBAK, INC. NATIONAL MEDIA POLL (Week 5)
1. Ohio State — 120 (12) points
2. BYU — 105 points
3. Long Beach State — 97 points
4. UCLA — 86 points
5. Hawai’i — 70 points
6. Lewis — 47 points
7. UC Irvine — 39 points
8. Loyola — 34 points
9. Stanford — 20 points
10. Pepperdine — 19 points
Others receiving votes: Ball State 11; CSUN 4; Penn State 4; UC San Diego 1