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A home victory versus a fellow nationally ranked NCAA Division II opponent turned out to be exactly what Concordia-Irvine needed to climb in the polls.
Concordia-Irvine following a victory against Cal Baptist jumped two spots into a tie for No. 2 in the latest Off the Block/Springbak, Inc. Division II National Coaches Poll that was released Tuesday.
Opposite Ryan Anselmo finished with a team-high 16 kills on a .419 attack percentage as Concordia-Irvine defeated then-No. 2 Cal Baptist in five games on Saturday. The home victory also extended the Eagles’ winning streak to seven matches.
With the loss, Cal Baptist dropped to No. 4 in the poll.
Concordia-Irvine was the only other team besides No. 1 Lewis to earn a first-place vote and finished tied with UC San Diego at 24 points. In addition, McKendree earned the final spot in the top-five national rankings.
This is the first season of the Off the Block/Springbak, Inc. 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. Springbak, Inc. is the official sponsor of the Division II National Coaches 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.
The Division II National Coaches Poll will be released on the Off the Block website every Tuesday during the regular season.
OFF THE BLOCK/SPRINGBAK, INC. DIVISION II NATIONAL COACHES POLL (Week 10)
1. Lewis — 39 (7) points
T-2. Concordia-Irvine — 24 (1) points
T-2. UC San Diego — 24 points
4. Cal Baptist — 23 points
5. McKendree — 7 points
Others receiving votes: Barton 2; King 1