McKendree’s momentum continues in the Division II coaches poll

Jonathan Bates | Off the Block associate editor

Fresh off a weekend where they won a pair of road conference matches, McKendree jumps to No. 4 in the latest Division II coaches poll.

No. 1 Lewis received all 12 first place votes this week, something they have achieved five times out of seven this season.

Lewis has not lost a game in their last four matches. This past weekend, the Flyers defeated MIVA foes, Ball State and Purdue Fort Wayne, where they combined for 20 blocks and an efficient .418 attack percentage. Middle attacker Tyler Mitchem was honored as the Off the Block middle attacker of the week for his 21 kills on 27 errorless swings. This coming weekend, Lewis travels to Ohio State and No. 4 McKendree.

No. 2 Barton went 3-0 this past week, winning all three matches via sweep. Bulldog outside attacker Adrian Iglesias won ConfCarolinas player of the week honors, on the strength of tallying 29 kills on an efficient .533 attack percentage. This week, Barton hosts conference foe, Mount Olive, before traveling to Queens for a non-conference match.

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No. 3 UC San Diego took UC Irvine to #CincoSets last Thursday but lost in the end. The Tritons also lost a conference match to UC Santa Barbara on Friday at home. Over the two matches, sophomore opposite Collin Shannon led UC San Diego with 33 kills. This weekend, the Tritons travel to Northern California to play Division III power, UC Santa Cruz, and Stanford.

No. 4 McKendree reverse swept Lindenwood on the road, while also defeating Quincy in four games last week. Sophomore middle attacker Wyatt Dimke led the effort with 21 kills and 10 blocks in the pair of matches. The Bearcats host Loyola and No. 1 Lewis this coming weekend.

No. 5 Concordia-Irvine was swept at BYU and Stanford last weekend. Outside attacker Jordan Hoppe had a combined 26 kills in the two matches, and has tallied double-digit kills in the last six matches. The Eagles welcome UCLA and Pepperdine to Irvine this week.

Also receiving votes this week are Lincoln Memorial, Lindenwood, King, and Charleston.

Both NCAA Division I and NCAA Division II men’s volleyball programs compete for the same national championship. The AVCA National Coaches Poll ranks the top 15 Division I-II men’s volleyball teams and is released each Monday during the regular season.

A national voting committee comprised of coaches from the more than 20 Division II teams determines the weekly rankings for the Division II National Coaches Poll.

Off the Block is a website that launched in 2011 and is the nation’s leader in college men’s volleyball coverage.

The Division II National Coaches Poll will be released on the Off the Block website every Tuesday during the regular season.

Off the Block Division II Coaches Poll

Rank Team Record Points Previous Trend
1 Lewis 11-4 60 (12) 1
2 Barton 9-3 44 2
3 UC San Diego 5-9 29 3
4 McKendree 6-5 22 5 +1
5 Concordia-Irvine 5-10 15 4 -1

Others receiving votes: Lincoln Memorial, 6, Lindenwood 2, King 1, Charleston 1