Thanks to a pair of wins over previously ranked NAIA Top 10 teams, the Lewis-Clark State College women’s volleyball team leaped to No. 13 in the first regular season NAIA Coaches’ Top 25 Pool, which was released on Tuesday.
The Warriors, 5-4 overall, made the biggest jump of any team in the poll.
LCSC went 2-2 last week in the Concordia-Irvine Invitational, falling to top-ranked Fresno Pacific and No. 2-ranked California Baptist. LCSC, however, defeated then-fourth ranked Azusa Pacific and No. 10 Vanguard.
LCSC’s four losses have all been to NAIA top-ranked teams, including the top three teams in the rankings. Concordia-Irvine, ranked No. 2, and College of Idaho, ranked No. 11, both defeated LCSC at the Comfort Inn Invitational to start the season.
California schools from the Golden State Athletic Conference continue to dominate the poll with five of the top 10 teams, including Azusa Pacific at No. 10. The GSAC has seven teams in the Top 25.
Fresno Pacific continues its dominance at the top of the NAIA volleyball world, entering its 25th consecutive week as the nation's top-ranked team dating back to Sept. 5, 2007. The Sunbirds have opened 2009 playing in three tournaments and are 10-0. In 31 sets played, head coach Dennis Janzen's squad has only dropped one set.
Fellow Frontier Conference member Carroll College received the second-most votes without making the Top 25, while Rocky Mountain also received one vote.
The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences. The next poll will be announced on Sept. 15.
|
RANK
|
LAST WEEK
|
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES)
|
2009 RECORD
|
TOTAL POINTS
|
|
1
|
1
|
Fresno Pacific University (Calif.) (24)
|
10-0
|
684
|
|
2
|
2
|
Concordia University (Calif.)
|
13-0
|
662
|
|
3
|
3
|
California Baptist University
|
11-0
|
640
|
|
4
|
6
|
Columbia College (Mo.)
|
4-0
|
603
|
|
5
|
5
|
Northwestern College (Iowa)
|
7-1
|
580
|
|
6
|
7
|
Georgetown College (Ky.)
|
5-0
|
570
|
|
7
|
8
|
Point Loma Nazarene University (Calif.)
|
9-0
|
566
|
|
8
|
9
|
Morningside College (Iowa)
|
10-0
|
517
|
|
9
|
12
|
Madonna University (Mich.)
|
8-0
|
487
|
|
10
|
4
|
Azusa Pacific University (Calif.)
|
9-3
|
469
|
|
11
|
18
|
College of Idaho
|
5-1
|
454
|
|
12
|
11
|
Bellevue University (Neb.)
|
8-1
|
449
|
|
13
|
NR
|
Lewis-Clark State College (Idaho)
|
5-4
|
417
|
|
14
|
16
|
Dordt College (Iowa)
|
9-0
|
403
|
|
15
|
15
|
Lubbock Christian University (Texas)
|
3-2
|
339
|
|
16
|
13
|
Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.)
|
3-5
|
324
|
|
17
|
20
|
Biola University (Calif.)
|
9-2
|
322
|
|
18
|
23
|
Doane College (Neb.)
|
10-2
|
310
|
|
19
|
19
|
Taylor University (Ind.)
|
5-1
|
254
|
|
20
|
14
|
Lindenwood University (Mo.)
|
6-2
|
245
|
|
21
|
RV
|
Southern Oregon University
|
8-1
|
215
|
|
22
|
17
|
Indiana Institute of Technology
|
4-5
|
203
|
|
23
|
NR
|
Savannah College of Art and Design (Ga.)
|
7-3
|
170
|
|
24
|
RV
|
Westmont College (Calif.)
|
8-2
|
160
|
|
25
|
RV
|
Mount Vernon Nazarene University (Ohio)
|
9-3
|
141
|
Others receiving votes: University of Texas at Brownsville 138; Carroll (Mont.) 97; Black Hills State (S.D.) 96; Walsh (Ohio) 66; Hastings (Neb.) 53; Campbellsville (Ky.) 50; Mobile (Ala.) 49; Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 27; Indiana Wesleyan 21; Vanguard (Calif.) 16; Lee (Tenn.) 15; Jamestown (N.D.) 15; Eastern Oregon 13; Aquinas (Mich.) 12; College of the Ozarks (Mo.) 10; Union (Ky.) 5; Shawnee State (Ohio) 4; Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) 3; Indiana University East 3; Webber International (Fla.) 3; Oklahoma Baptist 3; Union (Tenn.) 1; Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 1.
