FrogJump Top 20: D3 Review VI

The FrogJump Top 20 is our Power Ranking of the DIII Men’s Volleyball Landscape. Our algorithm uses a host of different variables, including the cumulative statistics of D3VB men’s programs throughout the season. This allows us to reflect the ever changing dynamics within the 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 2/22/22 was taken into account.

  1. Springfield: No surprises here, the Pride maintain their position at the top of the D3VB landscape for another week. They’re matches versus New Paltz and Rivier were postponed this past week, but will take on Wentworth (2/23) and Vassar (2/26) before the month of February closes out.

  2. Vassar: The Brewers are fresh off a 3-1 win over the Stevens Ducks this past weekend. Their schedule doesn’t get any easier as they host NYU (2/25) and Springfield (2/26) this week. The rematch with NYU will be much more competitive this time around than their first meeting at the Morgan Classic, and Springfield at home is a great opportunity for any elite team.

  3. Dominican: The Stars are on a four match win streak since their 5-set loss to North Central. The Godfather and Old Man McGuire were able to lead their squad past an up-and-coming CUW squad last week, and will look to do the same against a hungry North Park this Saturday.

  4. Rutgers-Newark: The Scarlet Raiders are on an 11 match win streak! Derek Au continues to impress as Rutgers added another ranked win to their resume versus Stevens Tech last Wednesday. They’ll close out February against Stevenson, who has shown the ability to unseat ranked programs all year.

  5. North Central: The Cardinals round out our top 5, finishing last week with wins over North Park and Illinois Wesleyan. They’ll have a rivalry game on the docket tonight as they host Dan Ames and his Aurora Spartans.

  6. Southern Virginia: The Knights continue to assert dominance in the Old Dominion. Fresh off a 3-2 victory over in state rival Randolph-Macon, SVU went on to finish their week with wins over Eastern and Lancaster Bible. They’ll have a rematch with Randolph-Macon on Saturday, before testing themselves against DI/II Tusculum later in the day.

  7. Carthage: The Firebirds seem to have found their stride after a rough start to the season, sitting on a 6 match win streak. They’ll host a competitive North Park team tonight in Tarble, before traveling to Illinois Wesleyan this weekend.

  8. Wentworth: The Leopards red hot start to the season cooled slightly with losses to MIT and GNAC rival Lasell last week. They have to put it behind them quickly, as they travel to Springfield for a HUGE match against the Pride tomorrow night. This has all the makings to be the feature match of the week, as the Leopards win over Springfield last year locked the Pride out of the postseason for the first time in the NCAA Tournament era. Blake Arena will be packed… I cannot wait.

  9. Juniata: The Eagles are currently on a 6 match win streak, ending last week with wins over Randolph-Macon and Misericordia. “BuffFrog” Duffy and company will travel to Wilkes this weekend for a tri-match, where they’ll take on Arcadia and Wilkes.

  10. Marymount: The Saints extended their win streak to 5 as they clipped Stevenson and Eastern Mennonite last week. They hit the road to take on Elizabethtown this Friday (2/25).

  11. St. John Fisher: The Cardinals rebounded nicely from their loss to Rutgers with a 3-1 win over upstate rival Nazareth. They’ll continue their intense UVC battles this weekend, as they travel to my neck of the woods for a match against a surging New Paltz squad. A win for either team will be significant in establishing the UVC pecking order as February comes to a close.

  12. Stevens: The Ducks recent three losses came against Springfield, Vassar, and Rutgers-Newark. Their hot start to the season may have been cooled, but losses to 3 of the top 5 teams in the country isn’t a sign a misfortune. Koby Sherman continues to be one of the breakout players of the year this year, and Stevens remains firmly in the drivers seat of the MAC until proven otherwise. They’ll have a chance to add another signature win to their resume tonight as they travel to take on the NYU Violets.

  13. Loras: Our model has had the Duhawks consistently in the top 20 of the landscape for some time now, and the AVCA coaches have finally agreed. Loras capped their week with the program’s first ever AVCA Coaches Poll ranking, coming in at #15. They’ll host Rockford (2/25) and Milikin (2/26) to close out their February matches.

  14. NYU: The Violets are on a 5 match win streak since their losses at the Morgan Classic. They’ll look to add another signature win to their resume tonight as the Stevens Ducks come to Brooklyn. They won’t have much time to rest after, as they’ll travel to Poughkeepsie on Friday for a rematch with Vassar in Kenyon Hall.

  15. Messiah: The Falcons ended their week with sweeps over MAC opponents Eastern and Alvernia. They’ll put their 7 match win streak on the line as they take on Lancaster Bible in a FrogJump feature match tonight at 7PM.

  16. Benedictine: The Eagles are finding their groove after a rough start to the season, ending their week 3-0 against Aurora, Edgewood, and Wisconsin Lutheran. They’ll take on North Park (2/25) and Augustana (2/27) to close out their February games, before testing themselves against DI/II Lewis on March 2nd.

  17. Nazareth: It’s hard to imagine how the Golden Flyers have played 20 matches already this season, but they are getting it done! Losses to St. John Fisher and NYU last week dropped the Flyers to 16-4 are tough considering the nature of UVC conference play, but know one can say the Golden Flyers won’t be battle tested come tournament season. They’ll take on DI/II Daemen college tonight, before hosting Vassar in Kidera for a UVC conference match.

  18. SUNY New Paltz: The Hawks are currently on a 6 match win streak following their 3-1 win over MIT. They’ll travel upstate to take on St. John Fisher in a match with huge implications on the UVC pecking order.

  19. Fontbonne: The Griffins recovered from their second loss to Loras with three sweeps over CUC, Wittenberg, and Mount St. Joseph. They’ll take on DI/II Maryville tonight to close out their February contests.

  20. MIT: The Engineers went 3-1 last week, shocking the world with a 3-2 upset over Wentworth before falling in a tightly contested match to New Paltz. Their next match won’t be until March 4th, when they host Elmira at home in a UVC conference match.

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