This week helped provide some (me for sure) clarity as the season turns to conference play and some important showdowns that will help determine matchups in April. No time to waste, let’s dive in.
- Stevens – (0) The Ducks submitted their top spot with a huge win over Juniata in convincing fashion this weekend. Best resume in the country, bar none.
- Vassar – (+1) The Brewers continue their climb up my ballot with two dominant wins over WNY (Naz and SJFU) foes at home. On eye test alone, I am not sure anyone is playing better ball than the Brewers.
- Juniata – (-1) A loss to a tough Duck squad in Hoboken is nothing to be ashamed of, but I am sure Coach DeHaven will have some adjustments as the head into CVC heavy portion of their schedule.
- Messiah – (+1) Messiah gets a friendly bump thanks to some results around them. Coach Beachy’s squad played a lot of volleyball in Virginia, highlighted by two 5 set thrillers over SVU and RMC.
- Carthage – (+1) A light week for the Firebirds in Kenosha with a win over Concordia Wisconsin. 6 straight for JW’s squad. Could they be heating up at the correct time.
- Springfield (+1) Springfield has now landed in my spot on the ballot that Vassar occupied a few weeks ago. I firmly believe they are better than the 6th best team in country, but they will need to grab some signature wins to show it.
- NYU – (+1) My artificial bump of NYU last week is justified with their win over SJFU this past week. This squad has found some quality play out of the O2 position which was a big question heading into the season.
- St. John Fisher (-4) A steep penalty for the Cardinals who put themselves behind the 8 ball in UVC play going 0-2 against Vassar and NYU over the weekend.
- New Paltz (+1) Moving to 1-0 in UVC play with a win over Nazareth is an important start for the Hawks. We will see if they can lock in consistently for their conference matches.
- Southern Virginia – (+2) Despite and 0-1 week with a tight loss to Messiah. This group impressed me and they’ve got the best win of anybody who is in this range. If they host the CVC tournament, things could get very interesting.
- North Central – (0) This group holds steady, taking down Trine and Augustana. Two of their next three against Loras and Carthage.
- Nazareth – (-3) A tough week for the Golden Flyers who escaped Elmira with a tight win before falling to Vassar and Nazareth. Owen Wickens can only do so much for this squad and operating on a bum ankle he is a bit limited.
- Nichols – (0) The Bison hold their spot following a routine win over Regis. We will learn what this group is made of with some big tests awaiting them this week.
- Marymount – (NR) Some strange losses by teams toward the bottom brings Marymount back into the poll after wins over Stevenson and Lancaster Bible. They will be well tested after this week though.
- Elmira – (-1) Elmira hangs in despite a close loss to Nazareth in the midweek. Their win over Wilkes showed some of the balance their offense can have with a dynamic attacker at each pin.
Also Considered: UC Santa Cruz, Loras, Cal Lutheran, St. Joe’s (LI)