Top 25 Poll - No. 9
Nov 01, 2011
KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Texas at Brownsville’s eight-week run at No. 1 is over. Concordia (Calif.), winner of 27-straight matches, is the NAIA’s top-ranked team for the first time in school history, the national office announced Tuesday. The Eagles collected all 23 first-place votes and 653 points to top the ninth regular-season edition of the poll. Concordia leap-frogged the Scorpions by defeating them 25-20, 16-25, 25-19, 20-25, 15-10 in a matchup of No. 1 versus 2 in the NAIA Match of the Week on Oct. 29.
Texas at Brownsville, which also lost 21-25, 25-27, 26-24, 25-11 to then-No. 14 Biola (Calif.) on Oct. 27, fell back to No. 2 with 624 points. Columbia (Mo.), who has won 23-consecutive matches, comes in at No. 3 with 615 points. No. 4 Lee (Tenn.) and No. 5 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) remain in the same positions, earning 592 and 561 points, respectively.
No. 15 Indiana Wesleyan moved up five spots from No. 20, marking the largest climb in the poll. The Wildcats went 5-0 last week, including four wins at the Boneyard Brawl in Georgetown, Ky., and a 25-21, 25-20, 22-25, 25-23 upset over then-No. 10 Indiana Tech. No. 11 Biola vaulted up three spots after becoming the first team to defeat Texas at Brownsville this season. Meanwhile, Cal State San Marcos, ranked No. 16 a week ago, fell out of poll after dropping a four-set decision to La Sierra (Calif.) on Oct. 25.
That match helped propel La Sierra into the rankings for the first time this season at No. 25. The Golden Eagles have lost only twice in 2011 and have won six-straight matches and 19 of their last 20. Cal State San Marcos was the only team to fall from the Top 25, while Indiana Tech experienced the biggest drop within the rankings. The Warriors went back six spots to No. 16 due to a pair of losses at the Boneyard Brawl. In total, only nine squads remained in the same positions they held last week.
The Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) retained six members in the rankings for the seventh-consecutive week and again led all leagues. The GSAC is represented by Concordia, No. 7 Azusa Pacific (Calif.), No. 9 Fresno Pacific (Calif.), Biola, No. 13 Vanguard (Calif.) and No. 17 Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.). The Frontier Conference stands alone in second with three ranked squads: No. 8 Lewis-Clark State (Idaho), No. 10 Rocky Mountain (Mont.) and No. 23 Carroll (Mont.). Five conferences placed two schools in the poll.
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 Nov. 8.
Notes: (all information as of 2000) Concordia (Calif.) is the third squad this season to appear at No. 1, following Texas at Brownsville and Fresno Pacific (Calif.) … Texas at Brownsville is the fifth team this season to appear at No. 2, following Columbia (Mo.), Lee (Tenn.), Embry-Riddle (Fla.) and Concordia … Texas at Brownsville's eight No. 1 rankings are the fourth most ... Fresno Pacific has the most No. 1 appearances with 70, followed by former NAIA member National American (S.D.) with 32 and Columbia with 20 ... Azusa Pacific (Calif.) extended its NAIA-leading poll-streak to 81 consecutive ... Seventeen teams have been ranked in every poll this season ... There have been 37 different teams that have appeared in the Top 25 in 2011 … Six schools have been rated in the top 10 of every poll this season: Azusa Pacific, College of Idaho, Columbia, Embry-Riddle, Lee and Texas at Brownsville.
Others Receiving Votes: Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) 96; Doane (Neb.) 72; Indiana East 64; Cal State San Marcos 51; Shorter (Ga.) 45; Point Park (Pa.) 45; Eastern Oregon 35; Morningside (Iowa) 22; Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 21; Cornerstone (Mich.) 19; Southern Nazarene (Okla.) 19; Baker (Kan.) 12; Asbury (Ky.) 9; Saint Xavier (Ill.) 7; Campbellsville (Ky.) 4; Grace (Ind.) 3; Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 1; Georgetown (Ky.) 1; Evangel (Mo.) 1; Viterbo (Wis.) 1; MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 1; Lubbock Christian (Texas) 1; Kansas Wesleyan 1; Wiley (Texas) 1; St. Ambrose (Iowa) 1.
Texas at Brownsville, which also lost 21-25, 25-27, 26-24, 25-11 to then-No. 14 Biola (Calif.) on Oct. 27, fell back to No. 2 with 624 points. Columbia (Mo.), who has won 23-consecutive matches, comes in at No. 3 with 615 points. No. 4 Lee (Tenn.) and No. 5 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) remain in the same positions, earning 592 and 561 points, respectively.
No. 15 Indiana Wesleyan moved up five spots from No. 20, marking the largest climb in the poll. The Wildcats went 5-0 last week, including four wins at the Boneyard Brawl in Georgetown, Ky., and a 25-21, 25-20, 22-25, 25-23 upset over then-No. 10 Indiana Tech. No. 11 Biola vaulted up three spots after becoming the first team to defeat Texas at Brownsville this season. Meanwhile, Cal State San Marcos, ranked No. 16 a week ago, fell out of poll after dropping a four-set decision to La Sierra (Calif.) on Oct. 25.
That match helped propel La Sierra into the rankings for the first time this season at No. 25. The Golden Eagles have lost only twice in 2011 and have won six-straight matches and 19 of their last 20. Cal State San Marcos was the only team to fall from the Top 25, while Indiana Tech experienced the biggest drop within the rankings. The Warriors went back six spots to No. 16 due to a pair of losses at the Boneyard Brawl. In total, only nine squads remained in the same positions they held last week.
The Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) retained six members in the rankings for the seventh-consecutive week and again led all leagues. The GSAC is represented by Concordia, No. 7 Azusa Pacific (Calif.), No. 9 Fresno Pacific (Calif.), Biola, No. 13 Vanguard (Calif.) and No. 17 Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.). The Frontier Conference stands alone in second with three ranked squads: No. 8 Lewis-Clark State (Idaho), No. 10 Rocky Mountain (Mont.) and No. 23 Carroll (Mont.). Five conferences placed two schools in the poll.
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 Nov. 8.
Notes: (all information as of 2000) Concordia (Calif.) is the third squad this season to appear at No. 1, following Texas at Brownsville and Fresno Pacific (Calif.) … Texas at Brownsville is the fifth team this season to appear at No. 2, following Columbia (Mo.), Lee (Tenn.), Embry-Riddle (Fla.) and Concordia … Texas at Brownsville's eight No. 1 rankings are the fourth most ... Fresno Pacific has the most No. 1 appearances with 70, followed by former NAIA member National American (S.D.) with 32 and Columbia with 20 ... Azusa Pacific (Calif.) extended its NAIA-leading poll-streak to 81 consecutive ... Seventeen teams have been ranked in every poll this season ... There have been 37 different teams that have appeared in the Top 25 in 2011 … Six schools have been rated in the top 10 of every poll this season: Azusa Pacific, College of Idaho, Columbia, Embry-Riddle, Lee and Texas at Brownsville.
| RANK | LAST WEEK | SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) | 2011 RECORD | TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 | 2 | Concordia (Calif.) | 28-1 | 653 |
| 2 | 1 | Texas at Brownsville | 23-2 | 624 |
| 3 | 3 | Columbia (Mo.) | 30-2 | 615 |
| 4 | 4 | Lee (Tenn.) | 26-2 | 592 |
| 5 | 5 | Embry-Riddle (Fla.) | 23-4 | 561 |
| 6 | 6 | College of Idaho | 21-1 | 546 |
| 7 | 7 | Azusa Pacific (Calif.) | 23-6 | 531 |
| 8 | 9 | Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) | 18-3 | 494 |
| 9 | 8 | Fresno Pacific (Calif.) | 14-8 | 487 |
| 10 | 11 | Rocky Mountain (Mont.) | 22-4 | 449 |
| 11 | 14 | Biola (Calif.) | 20-11 | 446 |
| 12 | 13 | Taylor (Ind.) | 27-5 | 403 |
| 13 | 12 | Vanguard (Calif.) | 20-9 | 378 |
| 14 | 15 | Southern Oregon | 17-4 | 372 |
| 15 | 20 | Indiana Wesleyan | 29-3 | 337 |
| 16 | 10 | Indiana Tech | 30-5 | 328 |
| 17 | 17 | Point Loma Nazarene (Calif.) | 14-9 | 327 |
| 18 | 18 | Missouri Baptist | 31-3 | 326 |
| 19 | 19 | Spring Hill (Ala.) | 34-0 | 316 |
| 20 | 21 | Oklahoma Baptist | 26-10 | 269 |
| 21 | 22 | Bellevue (Neb.) | 25-6 | 233 |
| 22 | 23 | Grand View (Iowa) | 34-7 | 189 |
| 23 | 24 | Carroll (Mont.) | 15-7 | 146 |
| 24 | 25 | College of the Ozarks (Mo.) | 27-7 | 125 |
| 25 | NR | La Sierra (Calif.) | 20-2 | 102 |
Others Receiving Votes: Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.) 96; Doane (Neb.) 72; Indiana East 64; Cal State San Marcos 51; Shorter (Ga.) 45; Point Park (Pa.) 45; Eastern Oregon 35; Morningside (Iowa) 22; Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) 21; Cornerstone (Mich.) 19; Southern Nazarene (Okla.) 19; Baker (Kan.) 12; Asbury (Ky.) 9; Saint Xavier (Ill.) 7; Campbellsville (Ky.) 4; Grace (Ind.) 3; Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 1; Georgetown (Ky.) 1; Evangel (Mo.) 1; Viterbo (Wis.) 1; MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) 1; Lubbock Christian (Texas) 1; Kansas Wesleyan 1; Wiley (Texas) 1; St. Ambrose (Iowa) 1.
