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Jonathan Bates | Associate Editor
In what is likely to be a prelude for the rest of the regular season, we have a split decision on who reigns supreme in the land of men’s volleyball.
Both BYU and Hawai’i received 94 points in the latest Off the Block National Media Poll that was released Tuesday.
BYU received five of the ten first place votes, while Hawai’i received four. No. 7 Loyola received the other first place vote.
BYU improved to 3-1 on the young season after defeating No. 5 Pepperdine in Provo this past Friday and Saturday. Wil Stanley was named Off the Block Setter of the Week, while Gabi Garcia Fernandez was named Opposite of the Week. The Cougars return to the court this coming Thursday and Saturday as they host Grand Canyon who has been off the last couple of weeks.
Hawai’i starts their season this coming Sunday as they take on No. 8 UC Irvine at the Bren Events Center. The Rainbow Warriors play the Anteaters again on Monday and then No. 10 UC San Diego on February 24 and 25. All of these matches will be counted as non-conference contests.
No. 9 UCLA had the most movement in the poll as they dropped three spots after losing to crosstown rival in four games on Saturday.
The National Media Poll is the only rankings in NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball solely determined by media members. The 10 teams receiving the most votes are ranked in the National Media Poll, while other schools earning votes but finishing outside of the top 10 are considered teams receiving votes.
A new national media poll is released every Tuesday during the regular season on Off the Block’s website.
Off the Block National Media Poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Previous | Trend |
| 1 | BYU | 3-1 | 94 (5) | 2 | +1 |
| 2 | Hawai’i | 0-0 | 94 (4) | 1 | — |
| 3 | UC Santa Barbara | 0-0 | 75 | 3 | — |
| 4 | Lewis | 6-1 | 68 | 4 | — |
| 5 | Pepperdine | 2-2 | 52 | 5 | — |
| 6 | Long Beach State | 0-0 | 43 | 7 | +1 |
| 7 | Loyola | 8-0 | 35 (1) | 9 | +2 |
| 8 | UC Irvine | 0-0 | 32 | 8 | — |
| 9 | UCLA | 2-2 | 24 | 6 | -3 |
| 10 | UC San Diego | 0-0 | 19 | 10 | — |
Others receiving votes: George Mason 5, NJIT 4, McKendree 2, Penn State 2, Grand Canyon 1
Dropped out of rankings: None
Disappointed to see where Ball State (5-1) has not drawn a single vote. The Cardinals return 5, starters from a team that a year ago defeated former national champions Loyola, Penn State and Ohio State. In addition, the Cardinals have only lost one match in the past two years on their home court. You would think this team has done enough to draw a vote in the Off The Block poll.