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Jonathan Bates | Off the Block associate editor
UC San Diego is the No. 3 in the latest Division II coaches poll released on Tuesday. The Tritons took the first game from UCLA on Friday, when they hit. 600, while they swept Grand Canyon on Saturday night.
No. 1 Lewis received 14 of the 15 first place votes this week. Last weekend, Lewis went #CincoSets in both of their matches in Southern California. Last Friday, the Flyers lost to UC Santa Barbara, while defeating CSUN the following night. Lewis middle attacker TJ Murray was named Off the Block National Middle Attacker of the Week on Monday on the strength of his 18 kills and 11 blocks against the pair of Big West teams; his 7 blocks against UC Santa Barbara and his 11 kills against CSUN both set season-bests. This coming weekend, the Flyers host Penn State and UCLA.
No. 2 Barton has won five matches in a row, after dropping the first two matches of the season against George Mason and Long Beach State. This past weekend, they Bulldogs started conference play with a couple of sweeps – against Emmanuel and Erskine. Angelos Mandilaris was named Off the Block National Opposite of Week on Monday on the strength of his 38 kills and 12 digs; against Erskine, he attacked at a .643 clip – almost twice as good as his previous season high. This weekend, Barton continues conference play and travels to Limestone and North Greenville.
No. 3 Concordia-Irvine only had one match last weekend, a four-game loss to neighbor, UC Irvine. In that match, setter Chandler Gibb (12 digs) and outside attacker Jordan Hoppe (19 kills) both set season-highs. This coming weekend, the Eagles host Division III power UC Santa Cruz before traveling to No. 4 UC San Diego.
No. 4 UC San Diego split their home last matches last weekend – a four-game loss to UCLA and a sweep of Grand Canyon. Both matches were the first home matches for the Tritons this year. The match against UCLA drew over 1,600 fans – nearly a program record. Outside attacker Wyatt Harrison led the Tritons with 30 kills while attacking at a .421 clip over the weekend. This week, the Tritons continue their homestand against Princeton, Concordia-Irvine, and UC Santa Cruz.
No. 5 Lincoln Memorial only had one match last weekend, a sweep of fellow independent, Queens. The Railsplitters dominated every aspect of the match, including attack percentage (.363 to -.156) and kills (40 to 13). Middle Attacker Pedro Carvalho was named Off the Block National Independent Teams Player of the Week, making it the third consecutive week a Ralisplitter garnered that honored. Next weekend, Lincoln-Memorial travels to Columbus, Ohio for a match against Ohio State.
Also receiving votes this week are Lindenwood, McKendree, 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 | 6-3 | 74 (14) | 1 | — |
| 2 | Barton | 5-2 | 60 (1) | 2 | — |
| 3 | UC San Diego | 3-7 | 36 | 4 | +1 |
| 4 | Concordia-Irvine | 3-5 | 31 | 3 | -1 |
| 5 | Lincoln Memorial | 5-2 | 14 | 5 | — |
Others receiving votes: Lindenwood 5, McKendree 4, Charleston 3