Ball State makes season debut in new national media poll

The team with the second longest winning streak in the nation is making its first appearance of the season in the national media poll.

Ball State after weeks of receiving votes but finishing outside the top 10 broke through to No. 9 in the newest Off the Block/Springbak, Inc. National Media Poll released Tuesday.

The Cardinals are on an eight-match winning streak and one of three teams in the nation undefeated in conference play. In addition, Ball State defeated both Loyola and Lewis last week to remain in sole possession of first place in the MIVA.

Along with Ball State moving into the media poll, Long Beach State stayed at No. 1 for the second consecutive week.

The 49ers received all but three first-place votes. BYU despite receiving two first-place votes finished one point behind Stanford, which earned the other first-place vote, for the No. 2 ranking.

UCLA dropped one spot to No. 4, while Penn State also defeated Ohio State by one point to round-out the top five of the national media poll.

The Off the Block/Springbak, Inc. National Media Poll is the only national rankings in NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball solely determined by media members. The 10 teams receiving the most votes are ranked in National Media Poll, while other schools earning votes but finishing outside of the top 10 are considered teams receiving votes.

OFF THE BLOCK/SPRINGBAK NATIONAL MEDIA POLL (Week 7)
1. Long Beach State — 117 (9) points
2. Stanford — 103 (1) points
3. BYU — 101 (2) points
4. UCLA — 86 points
5. Penn State — 55 points
6. Ohio State — 54 points
7. Hawai’i — 46 points
8. UC Santa Barbara — 29 points
9. Ball State — 28 points
10. Pepperdine — 20 points
Others receiving votes: Loyola 12; CSUN 2; UC Irvine 1
Dropped out from last week: Loyola