2016 Tachikara-NAIA Volleyball Coaches' Top 25 Poll - No. 3
EOU No. 6, CRB No. 22, NU No. 24, CI RV
By Nikki Sherrill, Communications and Sports Information Intern
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The undefeated Warriors of Midland (Neb.) are once again the top team in the nation, coming in at No. 1 after garnering all 21 first-place votes this week. This is the third-straight edition the Warriors find themselves at the top of the rankings, and they remain undefeated this season at 17-0. The fourth Tachikara-NAIA Volleyball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll will be released Oct. 18.
Top 25 Highlights (historical information dates back to 2000):
- For the third-straight week, Midland (Neb.) is the No. 1 team in NAIA volleyball after maintaining its undefeated record. With all 21 first-place votes and 591 total points this poll, the Warriors remain as the top team in the country for only the third time in program history.
- The top five had minor shifting, with no new teams coming in. No. 2 Westmont (Calif.) moved up one spot, as did No. 3 Hastings (Neb.) and No. 4 Viterbo (Wis.). Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) comes in at No. 5 this week after taking its first loss of the season in the NAIA Match of the Week against then-No. 10 Georgetown (Ky.).
- The top 10 has gone with little adjustments, having only Dordt (Iowa) and MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) drop out to being tied at No. 11. Grand View (Iowa) made a two spot jump to No. 9 and Lourdes (Ohio) also made a two place move up to No. 10.
- No. 19 Jamestown (N.D.) made the biggest positive improvement as it crawled up three spots from its previous ranking. Six teams made two spot advances with No. 8 Georgetown, No. 9 Grand View, No. 10 Lourdes, No. 15 Doane (Neb.), No. 17 Carroll (Mont.) and No. 22 Corban (Ore.) improving their rankings this week.
- Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) is the only program to fall out of the poll this week.
- Peru State (Neb.) is the lone newcomer this week, coming in at No. 25. This is the first time Peru State has been ranked since Sept. 27, 2002 when it also captured a No. 25 ranking.
- The amount of undefeated team’s this year has dwindled down to just two, as No. 1 Midland (17-0) and No. 2 Westmont (18-0) lead the charge. Last season, Viterbo lasted the longest with an undefeated record, going 26-0 until it suffered a loss to Dordt.
- Overall, 12 of the 21 conferences are represented throughout the Top 25. The Great Plains Athletic Conference owns the poll with most representation, bringing in four teams, including two in the top five. The North Star Athletic Association and the Heart of America Athletic Conference both have three teams this week.
- For another week, the 2015 national champions, Columbia (Mo.), remain out of the rankings and receiving votes. Last season’s runner-up, Missouri Baptist finds itself ranked at No. 14 in this edition.
- Former member Fresno Pacific (Calif.) has the most No. 1 appearances with 70, followed by former member National American (S.D.) with 33
- No. 16 Biola (Calif.), which had been ranked among the top 10 in 41-consecutive polls, holds the longest active streak in the Top 25 at 115-straight appearances.
- There has only been one program that has been able to maintain the No. 1 ranking for an entire season, with Fresno Pacific accomplishing the feat in 2004, 2008 and 2009.
Poll Methodology
- The poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the conferences, Association of Independent Institutions and Unaffiliated Groups.
- The Top 25 is determined by a points system based on how each voter ranks the best teams. A team receives 30 points for each first-place vote, 29 for second-place and so on through the list.
- The highest and lowest ranking for each team (a non-rating is considered a low ratings) is removed and the team’s ranking will be recalculated with an additional point added to each team for every ballot (including discounted ballots) that the teams appears on.
- Teams that receive only one point in the ballot are not considered “receiving votes”
- Frequency of polls occur bi-weekly. This policy was approved by the National Administrative Council (NAC) for the 2016-17 academic season. This change will allow raters the opportunity to consider a larger body of work in between rating periods.
- For the complete ratings calendar, click here.
2016 Tachikara-NAIA Volleyball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll-No. 3 (Oct. 4)
| RANK |
LAST WEEK^ |
SCHOOL (1ST PLACE VOTES) |
2016 Record |
TOTAL POINTS |
| 1 |
1 |
Midland (Neb.) (21) |
17-0 |
591 |
| 2 |
3 |
Westmont (Calif.) |
18-0 |
571 |
| 3 |
4 |
Hastings (Neb.) |
15-2 |
547 |
| 4 |
5 |
Viterbo (Wis.) |
21-2 |
533 |
| 5 |
2 |
Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) |
15-1 |
511 |
| 6 |
6 |
Eastern Oregon |
17-1 |
505 |
| 7 |
7 |
Park (Mo.) |
19-1 |
480 |
| 8 |
10 |
Georgetown (Ky.) |
18-2 |
456 |
| 9 |
11 |
Grand View (Iowa) |
13-4 |
418 |
| 10 |
12 |
Lourdes (Ohio) |
14-3 |
416 |
| T11 |
9 |
Dordt (Iowa) |
11-4 |
397 |
| T11 |
8 |
MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.) |
17-5 |
397 |
| 13 |
14 |
Oklahoma City |
17-3 |
372 |
| 14 |
15 |
Missouri Baptist |
18-4 |
347 |
| 15 |
17 |
Doane (Neb.) |
16-4 |
322 |
| 16 |
13 |
Biola (Calif.) |
14-7 |
288 |
| 17 |
19 |
Carroll (Mont.) |
15-4 |
275 |
| 18 |
16 |
Madonna (Mich.) |
18-4 |
272 |
| 19 |
22 |
Jamestown (N.D.) |
12-6 |
268 |
| 20 |
18 |
Bellevue (Neb.) |
16-7 |
228 |
| 21 |
21 |
St. Thomas (Fla.) |
17-2 |
204 |
| 22 |
24 |
Corban (Ore.) |
12-4 |
192 |
| 23 |
23 |
Indiana Wesleyan |
19-1 |
186 |
| 24 |
20 |
Northwest (Wash.) |
11-4 |
148 |
| 25 |
NR |
Peru State (Neb.) |
23-4 |
88 |
Dropped from the rankings: Lewis-Clark State (Idaho)
Others receiving votes: The Master’s (Calif.) 80; Northwestern (Iowa) 79;
College of Idaho 71; Ottawa (Kan.) 46; Coastal Georgia 38; Concordia (Neb.) 19; Columbia (Mo.) 17; Cumberlands (Ky.) 16; Webber International (Fla.) 16; Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) 12; Cornerstone (Mich.) 12; Wayland Baptist (Texas) 5; Montana Tech 3.