October opens much like Septemeber ended in the DII women's volleyball rankings. Cal State San Bernardino and Western Washington remain cemented atop the latest top 25, two of the six last remaining undefeated teams.
Let's take a look at the latest AVCA DII women's volleyball poll and break down the top 25.
DII women's volleyball rankings: The top 25
| Rank | School | Points | Record | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cal State San Bernardino (42) | 1144 | 14-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Western Washington (3) | 1098 | 14-0 | 2 |
| 3 | Nebraska-Kearney | 1037 | 14-0 | 4 |
| 4 | Minnesota Duluth (1) | 1024 | 13-1 | 3 |
| 5 | Washburn | 946 | 13-1 | 5 |
| 6 | Lewis | 889 | 15-1 | 6 |
| 7 | Concordia - St. Paul | 868 | 11-3 | 7 |
| 8 | Northern State | 825 | 12-2 | 9 |
| 9 | Southwest Minnesota State | 737 | 11-3 | 8 |
| 10 | Northwest Missouri State | 691 | 12-2 | 10 |
| 11 | St. Cloud State | 647 | 13-1 | 12 |
| 12 | Rockhurst | 620 | 14-3 | 11 |
| 13 | Central Missouri | 516 | 10-5 | 13 |
| 14 | Ferris State | 486 | 12-3 | 16 |
| 15 | Wayne State (Neb.) | 459 | 13-2 | 15 |
| 16 | Regis | 432 | 12-3 | 17 |
| 17 | Hillsdale | 386 | 12-2 | 18 |
| 18 | Upper Iowa | 310 | 11-3 | 22 |
| 19 | Winona State | 285 | 12-2 | NR |
| 20 | Wheeling | 273 | 13-3 | 20 |
| 21 | Angelo State | 236 | 15-1 | NR |
| 22 | Tarleton State | 224 | 9-5 | 14 |
| 23 | Wingate | 144 | 16-0 | T-23 |
| T-24 | Barry | 121 | 10-4 | 25 |
| T-24 | Sioux Falls | 121 | 11-2 | 19 |
Top 10 teams remain the same in another dominating week
There were a few teams that switched spots, but overall, the top 10 teams all stayed put. The top three teams in the poll remained perfect on the season, with No. 1 Cal State San Bernardino picking up a big 3-1 victory over a Cal State L.A. team receiving votes. Western Washington is now 14-0, which shouldn't be too surprising considering the Vikings reeled off 30 straight wins last season.
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Nebraska-Kearney and Minnesota Duluth continue to dance at the Nos. 3 and 4 spots, flip-flopping for the second week in a row. The Lopers, who remained undefeated, now at 15-0, benefitted from taking down No. 13 Central Missouri and No. 10 Northwest Missouri State on consecutive days this past weekend.
Southwest Minnesota State and Northern State switched spots at No. 8 and No. 9. The Mustangs picked up a victory in straight sets against the surging Upper Iowa Peacocks but dropped one to Winona State the next day.
Wingate's impressive start
The Bulldogs are the third undefeated team in the latest top 25. Coming in at No. 23, Wingate is on quite the impressive run. It has won its last 17 consecutive sets and has only lost three sets all season. This was a team that reached the DII women's volleyball finals a year ago, so a return to the DII tournament shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.
Sophie Schaff leads the way with 4.05 points per set behind a team-high 3.17 kills per set. The run is pretty impressive considering Wingate lost its three leaders in points and kills from last year's final eight run. It should be smooth sailing for the Bulldogs, who don't face a ranked opponent the rest of the way.
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DII women's volleyball rankings: Risers, fallers, and newcomers
Risers
Upper Iowa is this week's biggest riser, leaping four spots to No. 18 this past week. The Peacocks have three losses this year, but they have all come at the hands of top 25 opponents. Though Upper Iowa opened the weekend with a tough loss to Southwest Minnesota State, the Peacocks closed the weekend defeating then-No. 19 Sioux Falls.
Ferris State is back on track, jumping two spots to No. 14 this week. After splitting their four games at the Colorado Premier Challenge earlier in September, the Bulldogs are rolling, winners of six of their last seven while sweeping their last five matches.
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Fallers
Tarleton and Sioux Falls fell the most this week. Tarleton dropped eight spots to No. 22 after dropping one to Arkansas-Fort Smith at home this past weekend. Sioux Falls has now lost three in a row, albeit all to ranked teams, which has allowed them to cling to the final spot in the poll, tied at No. 24 and down five spots from last week.
Newcomers
Winona State and Angelo State join the top 25 party. The Warriors had a big weekend, defeating Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State without dropping a set. Angelo State is now out to a 15-1 start, defeating a then-ranked Texas A&M-Commerce and Texas-Tyler this past weekend.
