The Lewis-Clark State College women’s volleyball team climbed three spots to No. 20 in this week’s NAIA poll, which was released on Wednesday. 

The Warriors, who cracked the Top 25 for the first time this season last week, are 16-5 overall and close out the regular season this weekend with a chance to wrap up the Frontier Conference title. 

LCSC won both of its matches last week and earned 69 points in the poll. Westminster is at No. 23, while Region II foes College of Idaho is No. 7 and Southern Oregon is tied for No. 11. 

The Warriors and Westminster are tied for the top spot in the conference standings at 10-2, while Montana Tech is third at 9-3. Both LCSC and Westminster play at Montana Tech this week, and both also face winless Montana-Western. 

Because LCSC swept Westminster during the regular season, it holds all tiebreaking advantages with the Griffins. If both teams win out, they would share the conference title, but LCSC would be awarded the top seed in the conference tournament, which will be held next Friday and Saturday in Billings, Mont. If Montana Tech happens to defeat both LCSC and Westminster and force a three-way tie, the first tiebreaker is again head-to-head competition. LCSC would be 3-1 against the other two and would again earn the top seed in the conference tournament. 

As long as the Warriors defeat Montana-Western on Friday, they are guaranteed no worse than the second seed in the conference tournament. Westminster could defeat Montana Tech, and then Montana Tech could defeat LCSC, which would give Westminster the conference title and leave LCSC and Tech tied for second. Because both Tech and LCSC split in the regular season, the next tiebreaker is how did both teams fared against the top remaining team in the conference, which would Westminster. Because LCSC swept Westminster, it would be the No. 2 seed. 

The importance of being a No. 1 or 2 seed is because the top two teams from the regular season, along with the top finisher in the conference tournament that didn’t finish No. 1 or 2 in the regular season, earn automatic berths to the eight-team regional tournament in Spokane on Nov. 16-17.