INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The St. Olaf College volleyball team was ranked No. 1 in the Central Region in the first set of regional rankings released by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) on Wednesday.
St. Olaf earned its spot atop the Central Region poll thanks to its 21-4 record against the toughest schedule in the region and an 8-2 record this season against regionally-ranked opponents. The Oles' have an in-Division SOS of .613, which accounts for opponents' winning percentage and the opponents' opponents' winning percentage.
Three other Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) programs were also ranked in the Central region, as Saint Benedict (No. 2), Augsburg (No. 3) and St. Thomas (No. 5) joined the Oles among the top-eight teams in the region. Washington University-St. Louis (No. 4), Loras (No. 6), Northwestern-St. Paul (No. 7) and Wartburg (No. 8) were also listed.
So far this season, the Oles have in-region wins over Saint Benedict, Augsburg, Loras and Northwestern, as well as wins over regionally-ranked UW-Stevens Point, UW-Platteville, Chapman and California Lutheran. UW-Stevens Point and UW-Platteville were ranked No. 5 and No. 8 in the Midwest region, respectively, while Chapman and Cal Lutheran were slotted No. 5 and No. 8 in the West region, respectively.
Regional rankings take into account win-loss percentage against NCAA Division III opponents, strength of schedule, head-to-head competition, results versus common and ranked opponents, and win-loss percentage over the last 25 percent of the season. "In-region competition" refers to games and matches played within a defined 500-mile radius, as well as all conference contests. Each regional committee ranks the top 15 percent of eligible teams in their respective region.
Regional rankings come into play after conferences have determined their automatic qualifier for the NCAA Tournament, as all remaining teams are considered for at-large spots based on regional rankings. The field for the 2019 NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Championship will be made up of 43 conference champions, one independent team, and 20 at-large selections.
NCAA Division III Women's Volleyball Central Region Rankings - Oct. 23, 2019
| Rank |
School |
In-Division Record |
Overall Record |
In-Division SOS |
| 1. |
St. Olaf |
21-4 |
21-4 |
.613 |
| 2. |
Saint Benedict |
19-3 |
19-3 |
.593 |
| 3. |
Augsburg |
18-4 |
18-4 |
.582 |
| 4. |
Washington University-St. Louis |
18-6 |
18-6 |
.587 |
| 5. |
St. Thomas |
23-4 |
23-4 |
.561 |
| 6. |
Loras |
17-6 |
17-6 |
.557 |
| 7. |
Northwestern-St. Paul |
17-7 |
17-7 |
.564 |
| 8. |
Wartburg |
19-7 |
19-7 |
.552 |
