The NCAA released its first Volleyball RPI rankings of the season this past Monday. Here is where the Valley teams rank out of the 330 Division I teams:
32-Wichita State
41-Northern Iowa
43-Missouri State
87-Southern Illinois
108-Creighton
110-Drake
119-Illinois State
148-Evansville
230-Indiana State
278-Bradley
Creighton fits into the middle of the pack for the Valley right now. Creighton has lost to non-conference opponents ranked significantly above the Bluejays. Nebraska, Dayton, Florida International, and Illinois are in the top 30, while Lipscomb and Kansas are in the top 75. Conference losses to Illinois State and Drake have hurt, as they are so close together in the rankings.
On the winning side, Samford, South Dakota State, and Texas Tech have RPIs below the Bluejays. The win over Wichita State is the biggest win for the volleyball team so far this season.
This team has several opportunities to move up in the RPI and make some noise during the season’s home stretch. There are still matches to be played at Missouri State, Northern Iowa, and Wichita State as well as a home match on November 10 with St. Louis U., currently ranked #33 in the RPI.
Matches at Evansville and Bradley and a home match against Drake are must-wins. A home-home series with Southern Illinois still looms, and holding court at home with Illinois State and Indiana State will be important.
There is still a lot of volleyball to be played this season, and you cannot count the Bluejays out; they’re still in the postseason mix. With a great stretch run, they can position themselves for consideration. Plus, with the MVC Tournament being held in Omaha this season at Sokol Arena, they could still ride home court advantage all the way to the NCAA Tournament.
What do you think? Feel free to leave your comments.