Cal State San Bernardino maintained its hold on the No. 1 spot in DII women's volleyball, but the rest of the poll saw quite a bit of movement. Two new teams enter the top 25 while the top 10 has a new look to it as well.
Let's take a look at the latest AVCA rankings and break down the DII women's volleyball poll.
| Rank | School | Points | Record | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cal State San Bernardino (46) | 1150 | 17-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Nebraska-Kearney | 1099 | 19-0 | 3 |
| T-3 | Northern State | 1005 | 17-2 | 6 |
| T-3 | Washburn | 1005 | 17-2 | 4 |
| 5 | Minnesota Duluth | 967 | 17-2 | 7 |
| 6 | Western Washington | 956 | 17-1 | 2 |
| 7 | Concordia - St. Paul | 827 | 15-4 | 5 |
| 8 | Wayne State (Neb.) | 752 | 17-3 | 11 |
| 9 | Lewis | 716 | 19-3 | 10 |
| 10 | Central Missouri | 663 | 14-6 | 9 |
| 11 | Southwest Minnesota State | 614 | 13-6 | 12 |
| 12 | Regis | 575 | 16-3 | 15 |
| 13 | St. Cloud State | 556 | 15-4 | 8 |
| 14 | Northwest Missouri State | 499 | 14-5 | 14 |
| 15 | Angelo State | 488 | 19-1 | 18 |
| 16 | Hillsdale | 474 | 16-3 | 16 |
| 17 | Winona State | 445 | 15-4 | 20 |
| 18 | Ferris State | 432 | 16-4 | 13 |
| 19 | Wheeling | 325 | 18-3 | 21 |
| 20 | Rockhurst | 273 | 17-6 | 17 |
| 21 | Upper Iowa | 204 | 13-6 | 19 |
| 22 | Michigan Tech | 174 | 16-4 | 24 |
| 23 | Texas A&M-Commerce | 135 | 16-4 | 25 |
| 24 | Cal State L.A. | 80 | 12-5 | NR |
| 25 | Missouri-St. Louis | 70 | 20-2 | NR |
DII women's volleyball rankings: A top 10 shakeup
We entered the weekend with the last three undefeated teams holding tight to the top three spots in the poll. When No. 2 Western Washington was upset 3-1 by Alaska Anchorage on Saturday night, the entire top 10 shifted.
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Cal State San Bernardino rolled to its 17th straight victory of the season without a loss and was one of three teams in the entire poll not to move this week. The Coyotes have been the No. 1 team since the Sept. 16 poll, holding the top spot for six straight weeks.
The Lopers continue their impressive run and took the Vikings spot at No. 2. Not only is Nebraska-Kearney a perfect 20-0, but it has also beaten five nationally-ranked teams in 2019.
Northern State jumped three spots into a tie with Washburn — which the aforementioned Lopers have beaten twice thus far in 2019 — while Minnesota Duluth jumped two spots to round out the top 5. Wayne State (Neb.) and Lewis both climbed the polls and cracked the top 10 this week. Lewis will put that new honor right to the test this week, facing off against No. 25 Missouri-St. Louis on Friday.
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DII women's volleyball rankings: Risers, fallers, and newcomers
There was quite a bit of movement as only Cal State Bernardino (No. 1), Northwest Missouri State (No. 14) and Hillsdale (No. 16) stood pat at their respective positions in the poll. Let's take a look at which teams moved the most.
Risers
Three is the magic number here. Northern State, Wayne State (Neb.), Regis, Angelo State, and Winona State all jumped three spots — the most of any team this week — with Northern State cracking the top 5 and Wayne State breaking into the top 10. Regis is now at No. 12, its highest ranking of the season after not appearing in the preseason poll and only receiving votes in the Week 1 rankings.
Fallers
This is where we saw the most movement. St. Cloud State and Ferris State both dropped five spots. The Huskies fell from the top 10 to No. 13 while Ferris State fell to No. 18. The Bulldogs were impressive in a 3-2 win over then-No. 17 Rockhurst before losing in straight sets to UMSL. That loss by Rockhurst saw it fall three spots to No. 20. Western Washington was able to stick inside the top 10 after its first loss of the year, dropping four spots to No. 6.
Wingate, which also lost its perfect season this weekend, and Tarleton State fell from the top 25.
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Newcomers
Cal State L.A. is back in the poll at No. 24. The Golden Eagles struggled at the Texan Invitational to open the season, dropping its first three games. They have gone 12-2 since with one of those losses coming to conference rival Cal State San Bernardino. A rematch is looming Nov. 1.
Missouri-St. Louis makes its top 25 debut for 2019. It is the first time since 2010 that the Tritons can say they are a top 25 team. The did so with a clean sweep in the Midwest Regional Crossover, closing the weekend with a sweep of Ferris State. UMSL travels to No. 9 Lewis on Friday looking to continue its climb up the top 25.
