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Jonathan Bates | Associate Editor
To reflect the increase of teams in Division II men’s volleyball recently, this year, Off the Block has increased the amount of teams listed in the Division II Coaches Poll to ten teams.
No. 1 Lewis, who has been regularly at the top of the poll since its inception, starts the 2021 season atop the poll, garnering all ten first place votes. Lewis is off to a 3-0 start in part due to contributions from senior middle attacker, Tyler Mitchem, who was named MIVA Defensive Player of the Week on Monday. In his first match of the season, Mitchem recorded a double-double, with 11 kills and 10 blocks.
All four MIVA Division II teams are ranked in the top seven of the poll, including Quincy who is off to a 3-0 start for first time since 2015, and just the third time in program history. ConfCarolinas also has four teams in the poll, while the other two teams are from the MPSF and the Independent ranks.
No. 3 King won both of their matches this past weekend at Saint Francis. Senior opposite Joshua Kim was named Off the Block Opposite of the Week and ConfCarolinas Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. For the weekend, Kim hit .342 with 37 kills for an average of 4.11 kills per game. He added four aces, two blocks, and 18 digs for an average of 2.00 digs per game.
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 1)
| Rank | Team | Record | Points | Previous | Trend |
| 1 | Lewis | 3-0 | 100 (10) | 1 | — |
| 2 | McKendree | 1-0 | 74 | 4 | +2 |
| T-3 | King | 2-0 | 62 | — | +7 |
| T-3 | Concordia-Irvine | 0-1 | 62 | 3 | — |
| 5 | Lindenwood | 1-0 | 58 | 5 | — |
| 6 | Lincoln Memorial | 1-3 | 40 | 7 | +1 |
| T-7 | Quincy | 3-0 | 28 | — | +4 |
| T-7 | Barton | 0-0 | 28 | 6 | -1 |
| 9 | Mount Olive | 0-0 | 19 | — | +2 |
| 10 | Belmont Abbey | 1-0 | 12 | — | +1 |
Also receiving votes: Queens 10, Charleston 10, Limestone 7, Alderson Broaddus 4, Erskine 3, Daemen 1