Top 25 Poll - No. 4
Sep 27, 2011
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Texas at Brownsville began its march through the Red River Athletic Conference with a pair of league wins over the past week and cemented itself as a unanimous No. 1 in the Tachikara-NAIA Volleyball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, the national office announced Tuesday. The Scorpions, who defeated Wiley (Texas) and Texas College to open up conference play, garnered all 23 first-place votes and 653 points.
The next three spots in the top four remained the same as last week. No. 2 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) collected 627 points, No. 3 Concordia (Calif.) grabbed 615 points and No. 4 Columbia (Mo.) pulled in 587 points. Fifth-ranked Lee (Tenn.) is up one spot and moves back in the top five after picking up 560 points. No. 8 Azusa Pacific (Calif.), which lost consecutive matches on Sept. 17 and 20, fell three spots despite rebounding for a 3-2 win over then-No. 7 Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) in the “NAIA Match of the Week” on Sept. 24.
Fresno Pacific (Calif.) has stormed back from an 0-3 start with seven-straight victories. After a 3-0 win over San Diego Christian (Calif.) on Sept. 16 to begin Golden State Athletic Conference play, the Sunbirds rattled off wins over then-No. 5 Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.), 3-2, on Sept. 17, and then-No. 5 Azusa Pacific, 3-0, on Sept. 20. The second win over a top-five opponent prompted Fresno Pacific to rise from No. 20 all the way to No. 6.
New to the poll this week is No. 25 Indiana East, which was ranked in the first- and second-regular season polls. The Red Wolves have won four matches in-a-row. Indiana East replaced Doane (Neb.) in the Top 25. The Tigers, ranked 11th last week, won just one set in suffering two Great Plains Athletic Conference losses to unranked opponents over the week.
The GSAC retained all six of its spots within the Top 25 to again lead all conferences: No. 3 Concordia (Calif.), No. 6 Fresno Pacific, No. 8 Azusa Pacific, No. 10 Point Loma Nazarene, No. 12 Biola (Calif.) and No. 21 Vanguard (Calif.). The Frontier Conference placed second with three league representatives in the rankings. Five conferences boast two Top-25 teams.
The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and Independents. The next poll will be announced on Oct. 4.
Notes: (all information as of 2000) Texas at Brownsville’s four No. 1 rankings are the fourth-most … Fresno Pacific (Calif.) has the most No. 1 appearances with 70, followed by former NAIA member National American (S.D.) with 32 and Columbia (Mo.) with 20 … Azusa Pacific (Calif.) extended its NAIA-leading poll-streak with 76-consecutive … Doane (Neb.) had been ranked in 19-straight polls dating back to Oct. 20, 2009, before falling out … For the second-straight week, Fresno Pacific made the largest jump up in the Top 25, going from unranked to No. 20 last week before soaring to No. 6 this week … Embry-Riddle (Fla.) joins Lee (Tenn.) as the second school to be ranked No. 2 for back-to-back weeks this season … At least three squads were knocked out of the rankings in each poll this season until this week.
Others receiving votes: Indiana Wesleyan 88; Saint Xavier (Ill.) 81; Midland (Neb.) 74; Lubbock Christian (Texas) 59; Grand View (Iowa) 55; Evangel (Mo.) 33; Eastern Oregon 28; Morningside (Iowa) 18; College of the Ozarks (Mo.) 12; Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 11; Wiley (Texas) 9; Doane (Neb.) 9; Great Falls (Mont.) 8; Cornerstone (Mich.) 7; Point Park (Pa.) 4; Grace (Ind.) 3; Daemen (N.Y.) 1; Baker (Kan.) 1; Texas Wesleyan 1; Kansas Wesleyan 1; Asbury (Ky.) 1; Concordia (Ore.) 1.
The next three spots in the top four remained the same as last week. No. 2 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) collected 627 points, No. 3 Concordia (Calif.) grabbed 615 points and No. 4 Columbia (Mo.) pulled in 587 points. Fifth-ranked Lee (Tenn.) is up one spot and moves back in the top five after picking up 560 points. No. 8 Azusa Pacific (Calif.), which lost consecutive matches on Sept. 17 and 20, fell three spots despite rebounding for a 3-2 win over then-No. 7 Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) in the “NAIA Match of the Week” on Sept. 24.
Fresno Pacific (Calif.) has stormed back from an 0-3 start with seven-straight victories. After a 3-0 win over San Diego Christian (Calif.) on Sept. 16 to begin Golden State Athletic Conference play, the Sunbirds rattled off wins over then-No. 5 Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.), 3-2, on Sept. 17, and then-No. 5 Azusa Pacific, 3-0, on Sept. 20. The second win over a top-five opponent prompted Fresno Pacific to rise from No. 20 all the way to No. 6.
New to the poll this week is No. 25 Indiana East, which was ranked in the first- and second-regular season polls. The Red Wolves have won four matches in-a-row. Indiana East replaced Doane (Neb.) in the Top 25. The Tigers, ranked 11th last week, won just one set in suffering two Great Plains Athletic Conference losses to unranked opponents over the week.
The GSAC retained all six of its spots within the Top 25 to again lead all conferences: No. 3 Concordia (Calif.), No. 6 Fresno Pacific, No. 8 Azusa Pacific, No. 10 Point Loma Nazarene, No. 12 Biola (Calif.) and No. 21 Vanguard (Calif.). The Frontier Conference placed second with three league representatives in the rankings. Five conferences boast two Top-25 teams.
The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences and Independents. The next poll will be announced on Oct. 4.
Notes: (all information as of 2000) Texas at Brownsville’s four No. 1 rankings are the fourth-most … Fresno Pacific (Calif.) has the most No. 1 appearances with 70, followed by former NAIA member National American (S.D.) with 32 and Columbia (Mo.) with 20 … Azusa Pacific (Calif.) extended its NAIA-leading poll-streak with 76-consecutive … Doane (Neb.) had been ranked in 19-straight polls dating back to Oct. 20, 2009, before falling out … For the second-straight week, Fresno Pacific made the largest jump up in the Top 25, going from unranked to No. 20 last week before soaring to No. 6 this week … Embry-Riddle (Fla.) joins Lee (Tenn.) as the second school to be ranked No. 2 for back-to-back weeks this season … At least three squads were knocked out of the rankings in each poll this season until this week.
| RANK | LAST WEEK | SCHOOL (1ST PlACE VOTES) | 2011 RECORD | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 | 1 | Texas at Brownsville (23) | 16-0 | 653 |
| 2 | 2 | Embry-Riddle (Fla.) | 11-1 | 627 |
| 3 | 3 | Concordia (Calif.) | 15-1 | 615 |
| 4 | 4 | Columbia (Mo.) | 11-2 | 587 |
| 5 | 6 | Lee (Tenn.) | 9-2 | 560 |
| 6 | 20 | Fresno Pacific (Calif.) | 7-3 | 538 |
| 7 | 8 | College of Idaho | 11-1 | 509 |
| 8 | 5 | Azusa Pacific (Calif.) | 15-4 | 507 |
| 9 | 9 | Indiana Tech | 15-0 | 506 |
| 10 | 7 | Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) | 9-3 | 465 |
| 11 | 12 | Rocky Mountain (Mont.) | 16-3 | 431 |
| 12 | 10 | Biola (Calif.) | 15-5 | 408 |
| 13 | 13 | Taylor (Ind.) | 12-3 | 397 |
| 14 | 14 | Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | 11-3 | 385 |
| 15 | 15 | Bellevue (Neb.) | 15-4 | 367 |
| 16 | 16 | Madonna (Mich.) | 15-1 | 336 |
| 17 | 17 | Cal State San Marcos | 14-5 | 320 |
| 18 | 21 | Missouri Baptist | 15-1 | 291 |
| 18 | 18 | Southern Oregon | 8-4 | 291 |
| 20 | 22 | Oklahoma Baptist | 14-9 | 238 |
| 21 | 23 | Vanguard (Calif.) | 13-6 | 225 |
| 22 | 24 | Spring Hill (Ala.) | 18-0 | 218 |
| 23 | 25 | Carroll (Mont.) | 11-4 | 180 |
| 24 | 19 | Viterbo (Wis.) | 19-4 | 156 |
| 25 | RV | Indiana East | 18-3 | 94 |
Others receiving votes: Indiana Wesleyan 88; Saint Xavier (Ill.) 81; Midland (Neb.) 74; Lubbock Christian (Texas) 59; Grand View (Iowa) 55; Evangel (Mo.) 33; Eastern Oregon 28; Morningside (Iowa) 18; College of the Ozarks (Mo.) 12; Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 11; Wiley (Texas) 9; Doane (Neb.) 9; Great Falls (Mont.) 8; Cornerstone (Mich.) 7; Point Park (Pa.) 4; Grace (Ind.) 3; Daemen (N.Y.) 1; Baker (Kan.) 1; Texas Wesleyan 1; Kansas Wesleyan 1; Asbury (Ky.) 1; Concordia (Ore.) 1.
