The FrogJump Top 20 is our official Power Ranking of the best performing teams in Division III men’s volleyball. Our algorithm uses the cumulative statistics of D3VB men’s programs throughout the season, reflecting the ever changing dynamics within landscape as teams compete to be the best in the nation. The better a team performs, the higher they’ll climb in our model. As it stands, only match data up to 1/24 was taken into account (sorry Loras).
- Springfield: The Pride claim the top spot in our power ranking after starting their season with a wins over Rutgers-Newark and Ramapo. They have a huge match tonight to assert dominance in the landscape, as they travel to NYU.
- Dominican: The Stars went undefeated on their East Coast trip, ending the Juniata Invitation 3-0 with wins over Juniata, Stevenson, and Mt. Union.
- Southern Virginia: The Knights of Southern Virginia to #3 this week after a dominant performance in Pennsylvania. They ended their weekend with wins over Stevenson and Messiah.
- St. John Fisher: The Cardinals have been on a tear to start the season, with performance metrics pushing them into the top 5 of our model. They sit at 7-0 after an undefeated weekend at the SUNY Poly Wildcast invitational. Their first huge test of the season comes Saturday as they head to Huntington to take on Juniata.
- Wentworth: The Leopards start the season 4-0 behind the standout play of Hunter Oshman and Jacob Labouliere. They play Regis on the 26th, but the match we should all have circled on our calendars is on the 29th as they travel to Springfield.
- Vassar: The Brewers will finally kick off their season with a home match versus Arcadia on Saturday. It’ll be the first look at this years reigning UVC Champions for the landscape and I can imagine many eyes will be watching.
- Benedictine: Last year’s NCAA runner-up, the Eagles open the season with a tough stretch. They don’t have much time to recover from their upset to Loras, as Midwest rival North Central College (1/28) and MIT (2/4) right around the corner.
- NYU: The Violets started the season with a bang, upsetting reigning NCAA Champion Carthage at home 3-1. Their next match doesn’t get any easier, as they take on Springfield tonight in a high stakes match between Beasts of the East.
- Carthage: The Firebirds start 0-2 with losses to NYU and Stevens Tech, but have a prime opportunity to bounce as Dominican travels to Tarble Arena. A win over Dominican will go a long way towards righting the ship.
- Stevens: The Ducks remain undefeated following a shocking 5-set win over reigning NCAA champion Carthage. They have a big opportunity to keep the momentum going as NJCU and New Paltz come to Hoboken for a tri-match.
- Nazareth: The Golden Flyers start the season at 7-1, with their lone loss coming to a strong Wentworth squad. They have a tri-match versus Colby-Sawyer and Elms this weekend.
- Rutgers-Newark: Rutgers is coming off a 3-1 loss to the Springfield Pride, but has an opportunity to bounce back versus the reigning MAC Champion Messiah on Saturday (1/29).
- Marymount: The Saints explode into our ranking after starting the season red hot. How long Raymond Tarasi can hit above .400 is anyone’s guess at this point, but a solid Lancaster Bible squad will seek to answer that on 1/29.
- MIT: The Engineers storm back into the landscape with an undefeated record last weekend (3-0), taking down a solid Rivier squad to cap off their day. They play Eastern Nazarene tonight (1/26), but travel to New Jersey for the Clash at Kean where they’ll face off against Kean, Misericordia, and Alvernia.
- Juniata: The Eagles sit at 4-2 following their win over St. Vincent last night. Their next big test comes on 1/29 when they have a tri-match with PSU-Behrend and St. John Fisher.
- Endicott: Endicott started the season off with 2 wins over AIC, but I’m counting down the days till February 4th when they play NYU.
- New Jersey City University: The Gothic Knights have a huge chance to make a name for themselves this weekend, as they travel to Hoboken to play perennial D3VB powers Stevens and New Paltz.
- Loras: What is a Duhawk!? The rising Midwest program puts everyone on notice with a shocking 3-0 sweep of Benedictine. They’ll look to keep the ball rolling this weekend at their Invitational as Marian and Augustana come to town.
- North Central: The Cardinals play Concordia University-Chicago tonight, Benedictine on Friday, and Dominican the following Wednesday. A tough stretch, but going 3-0 during those matches isn’t out of the question for this years NCC squad. Keep your eye on these results.
- Messiah: The Falcons 1-2 start came at the hands of Marymount and Southern Virginia, two of the best performing teams in the landscape. They’ll have a chance to get back on track with matches versus Rutgers (1/29) and Juniata (2/1).
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