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Jonathan Bates | Off the Block associate editor
Lewis starts the 2020 season in the Division II Coaches Poll in a familiar position – atop the poll with all of the first-place votes. The Flyers finished 2019 having swept all of the first-place votes for the final dozen weeks.
No. 1 Lewis defeated No. 6 King in straight sets last Friday, having set a single-match attack percentage record in the process. The Flyers lost their other match last weekend in four games to BYU.
Only eight matches occurred involving Division II teams, with six of them involving No. 1 Lewis, No. 7 Charleston, and North Greenville.
Urbana kicked off their inaugural season last weekend with a four-game loss to North Greenville, while fellow first-year program Tusculum kicks kick its inaugural season tomorrow evening versus No. 6 King.
Speaking of new programs, the Division II Coaches poll will rank seven teams this year to reflect the addition of new teams over the last several years.
The top of the poll includes schools frequently ranked over the years such as McKendree, Concordia-Irvine, UC San Diego, Barton, and King. Charleston and Lindenwood round out the poll, tying for seventh place.
North Greenville, Lincoln Memorial, Daemen, and Urbana also received votes.
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 Coaches Poll (Week 1)
| Rank | Team | Last Year’s Record | Points | Last Year’s Final Ranking | Trend |
| 1 | Lewis | 26-6 | 35 (5) | 1 | — |
| 2 | McKendree | 13-13 | 21 | 3 | — |
| 3 | Concordia-Irvine | 14-19 | 16 | 4 | — |
| 4 | UC San Diego | 7-20 | 14 | RV | — |
| 5 | Barton | 25-5 | 12 | T-2 | — |
| 6 | King | 20-10 | 11 | RV | — |
| T-7 | Charleston | 9-20 | 7 | RV | — |
| T-7 | Lindenwood | 9-19 | 7 | — | — |
Others receiving votes: North Greenville 6, Lincoln Memorial 5, Daemen 3, Urbana 2