Lindenwood jumps three spots to No. 2 in latest Division II coaches poll

Jonathan Bates | Associate Editor

No. 2 Lindenwood jumps three spots in this week’s Division II coaches poll after dispatching No. 5 King and No. 6 Lincoln Memorial, both on the road. This is only the second time since the Lions joined the MIVA in 2013 they have started the season 3-0. Diego Negron leads the nation with 1.333 aces per set, while the team is top five in opponent attack percentage.

The Lions have their first conference matches of the season when they host No. 3 McKendree on Thursday and Saturday nights.

Kansas winning the Big XII in men’s basketball, Oklahoma winning the Big XII in football, and Stanford winning the Director’s Cup are some of the certainties in college sports. At this rate, we can add Lewis being ranked No. 1 in the Division II coaches poll to this list.

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No. 1 Lewis received all nine first place votes after defeating Saint Francis in straight sets on Friday and NJIT on a neutral court in #CincoSets on Saturday. Middle attacker TJ Murray was named OTB middle attacker of the week after tallying 20 kills and 14 blocks for the weekend.

Interestingly, not only are the top 3 teams of the poll (Lewis, Lindenwood and McKendree) members of the MIVA, but are also members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference.

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 15 Division II teams determines the weekly rankings for the Division II National Coaches Poll.

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 (Week 2)

RankTeamRecordPointsPreviousTrend
1Lewis5-090 (9)1
2Lindenwood3-0695+3
3McKendree1-0662-1
4Concordia-Irvine0-3643-1
5King2-1453-2
6Lincoln Memorial1-6356
7Quincy3-0327
8Mount Olive1-0289+1
9Barton0-1257-2
10Belmont Abbey3-01610

Also receiving votes: Charleston 6, Queens 4, Erskine 4, Limestone 2
Dropped out: None