INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – For the second-straight week, the St. Olaf College volleyball team was ranked at the top of the Central Region, as the NCAA released its second set of regional rankings on Wednesday afternoon.
St. Olaf remained atop the regional rankings in the Central with a 23-4 overall record that includes a 7-2 mark against regionally-ranked opponents. The Oles own wins over four ranked teams in the Central Region (No. 2 Saint Benedict, No. 3 Augsburg, No. 6 Northwestern, No. 8 Loras), two in the West Region (No. 5 Chapman, No. 8 Cal Lutheran) and one in the Midwest Region (No. 5 UW-Stevens Point).
That schedule has led to St. Olaf having the second-highest in-Division strength of schedule (.600) in the region, trailing only Gustavus (.602). In-Division SOS takes into account the winning percentage of a team's opponents, as well as the winning percentage of your opponents' opponents.
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.
The Oles close out the regular season on Friday, Nov. 1 against crosstown rival Carleton at 7 p.m. at Skoglund Center on Senior Night. St. Olaf has already clinched a spot in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoffs and can be seeded anywhere from No. 2 to No. 5 in the conference tournament depending on Friday night's results.
