10/31/18: Northwestern, Morris to play for UMAC title

UMAC Semis
Northwestern 3, St. Scholastica 1 UNW’s Halvorsen had 21 kills, 15 digs.
Minnesota Morris 3, UW-Superior 2 UMM’s Emerson had 19 kills, 10 digs.

Top 25 Upset Watch
#6 Juniata 3, Scranton 0

-Ricky Nelson

2018 Week 3 regional rankings: Chicago back atop Midwest

After several minutes of confusion, the NCAA published the third of four regional rankings today.

Central Region Week 3 (Week 1,2 rank)
1 (1,1). Gustavus Adolphus
2 (2,2). Washington-St. Louis
3 (3,3). Saint Benedict
4 (4,4). St. Thomas
5 (5,5). Bethel
6 (6,6). Augsburg
7 (NR,NR). Wartburg
8 (8,8). St. Olaf
Dropped out: No. 7 Northwestern.

Midwest Region Week 3 (Week 1,2 rank)
1 (1,3). Chicago
2 (3,1). Wisconsin-Eau Claire
3 (2,2). Illinois Wesleyan
4 (4,4). Wisconsin-Whitewater
5 (5,5). Aurora
6 (6,6). Carthage
7 (7,7). Concordia Wisconsin
8 (NR,NR). Wisconsin-La Crosse
Dropped out: No. 8 Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Week 3 top four in other regions
Great Lakes: Calvin; Wittenberg; Thomas More; Hope.
Mid-Atlantic: Juniata; Christopher Newport; Carnegie Mellon; Franklin & Marshall.
New England: Johnson & Wales (R.I.); Bowdoin; Wesleyan; MIT.
New York: Ithaca; Stevens; Rochester Tech; Stockton.
South: Berry; Birmingham-Southern; Emory; Hendrix.
West: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps; Trinity (Texas); Colorado College; Mary Hardin-Baylor.

Welp … these rankings are the same as last week’s, including the week-old records. The header on the ranking page says these should be the Week 3 ones, but that’s obviously not the case. However, the regional data sheets appear to be correct.

I’ll update this post if/when the real Week 3 rankings ever surface.

UPDATE
I don’t mind Wartburg and its nice SOS entering the Central Region rankings. I guess the committee found a way to overlook the Knights’ losses to Dubuque and UW-River Falls. I could not find a way to do that, even when factoring for Wartburg’s eventual common opponent edge with a pair of wins over Cornell in addition to the ARC victories against Buena Vista and Simpson. That written, I do think Wartburg profiles better nationally than either Northwestern or Dubuque.

Staying in the Central Region, I’m surprised Augsburg’s win over Bethel was not enough to tip the scales at Nos. 5 & 6. I’d have to think the Auggies’ win over the Royals in the MIAC Playoffs will secure that adjustment before selection time.

In the Midwest Region rankings, Chicago returned to its rightful place at No 1, but Illinois Wesleyan fell to third. My assumption is that the committee says the teams’ respective 8-3 is better than 6-3 in RRO. IWU’s 6-3 is better than UWEC’s 8-3. That’s coming from a person who thinks UWEC is the best team he’s seen in person this season.

And my sense is that the criteria scorecard rears its head with Carthage and Concordia Wisconsin like it has the first two weeks. Carthage has a 3-2 criteria advantage. But this one is a case where I think CUW’s two are better than CC’s three. To me CUW has head-to-head (obviously) and RRO. If you think Carthage’s RRO is better than CUW’s, then you’re not doing it right. Since Carthage’s advantages in winning percentage and SOS are slight, I’ll take HTH and RRO all day. Besides, CUW profiles better nationally than Carthage at this point anyway.

If we always defer to the criteria scorecard, we quite literally do not need a committee. A team with a 3-2 edge is merely a 60-40 favorite to win a comparison. If that’s not the case, stated again, we would not need a committee.

-Ricky Nelson

10/30/18: #12 IWU wins CCIW

WIAC First Round
UW-Oshkosh 3, UW-La Crosse 1 UWO’s Gardner had 30 digs.
UW-Stevens Point 3, UW-Stout 1 UWSP’s Gehl had 21 kills, 22 digs.

MIAC Quarters
St. Thomas 3, St. Olaf 0 UST’s Bordson had 12 kills, 6 blocks.
Augsburg 3, Bethel 2 AC’s Malley had 7 kills, 54 assists, 29 digs.

NACC First Round
Dominican 3, Wisconsin Lutheran 0 DU’s Sinickaite hit 11-2-18.
Lakeland 3, Concordia Chicago 0 LU’s Goeser hit 10-1-19.

ARC First Round
Coe 3, Buena Vista 1 CC’s Teeple had 53 assists.
Luther 3, Loras 0 Luther’s Larson had 13 kills.

CCIW Regular Season
#12 Illinois Wesleyan 3, Carthage 1 IWU’s Brown had 12 kills, 24 digs.
Carroll 3, Millikin 1 CU ouhit MU, .274 to .021.
Wheaton 3, North Park 1 WC’s Smith had 16 kills, 18 digs.

Nonconference
#13 Washington-St. Louis 3, Greenville 1 WUSTL’s Malek hit 10-1-16.
Illinois College 3, Webster 0 IC’s Ramsey hit 13-0-23.
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods 3, Fontbonne 2 SMWC is USCAA.
Blackburn 3, Lincoln 1 BC’s Magnussen had 10 kills, 8 blocks.

Top 25 Upset Watch
#2 Johnson & Wales (R.I.) 3, Saint Joseph’s (Maine) 0
#3 Wittenberg 3, Earlham 2
#20 Ohio Northern 3, Marietta 0
#25 Christopher Newport 3, Penn St. Harrisburg 0

-Ricky Nelson

2018 AVCA Week 9 poll: Chicago enters top 10

The top four teams remained the same in the AVCA Week 9 poll and Chicago entered the top 10 for the first time since 2012.

Calvin is still the top-ranked team. Johnson & Wales (R.I.), Wittenberg, Colorado College and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps round out the top five.

Central and Midwest region teams in the Week 9 top 25: No. 8 Gustavus Adolphus; No. 10 Chicago; No. 12 Illinois Wesleyan; No. 13 Washington-St. Louis; No. 15 Wisconsin-Eau Claire; No. 18 Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Central and Midwest region teams receiving votes this week: St. Thomas; Aurora; Carthage; Saint Benedict.

My Week 9 top 10 had Emory, Illinois Wesleyan and UW-Eau Claire instead of Colorado College, Gustavus Adolphus and Trinity (Texas).

-Ricky Nelson

10/29/18: CSS moves on to UMAC semis

UMAC Quarters
St. Scholastica 3, Bethany Lutheran 0 CSS’s Schermann had 11 kills, 19 digs.

Prepare for championship week with the 2018 Conference Tourneys page. The MAC Commonwealth also gets things underway with a play-in match tonight.

-Ricky Nelson

Suggestions for 2018 Week 3 Central, Midwest regional rankings

What I think the Week 3 Central Region rankings should be:
1. Gustavus Adolphus
2. Washington-St. Louis
3. Saint Benedict
4. St. Thomas
5. Augsburg
6. Bethel
7. Northwestern
8. St. Olaf

What I think the Week 3 Midwest Region rankings should be:
1. Chicago
2. Illinois Wesleyan
3. Wisconsin-Eau Claire
4. Wisconsin-Whitewater
5. Aurora
6. Concordia Wisconsin
7. Carthage
8. Wisconsin-La Crosse

Tell me where I’m wrong. Showing my work.

-Ricky Nelson

Ricky Nelson’s 2018 Week 9 top 10

The AVCA poll comes out Tuesday.

My rank, (My Week 8 rank, AVCA Week 8 rank), record, key results last week
1 (1,1). Calvin 26-1 W: Hope.
2 (2,2). Johnson & Wales (R.I.) 28-1 W: Hunter; Kean.
3 (3,3). Wittenberg 20-2 W: Otterbein.
4 (5,7). Juniata 22-3 [None].
5 (NR,6). Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 24-3 W: Chapman; Whittier.
6 (4,5). Thomas More 29-3 W: Randolph-Macon; Washington and Lee. L: Birmingham-Southern. 
7 (6,8). Emory 21-6 W: Randolph-Macon; Washington and Lee. L: Birmingham-Southern.
8 (7,11). Chicago 26-3 [None].
9 (10,14). Illinois Wesleyan 22-5 [None].
10 (8,13). Wisconsin-Eau Claire 27-3 W: Wisconsin-Whitewater. L: St. Thomas.
Dropped Out: No. 9 Washington-St. Louis (22-6).

-Ricky Nelson

10/28/18: #18 Warhawks soar past Falcons

Nonconference
#18 UW-Whitewater, Concordia Wisconsin UWW outhit CUW, .241 to -.056.

Top 25 Upset Watch
#10 Trinity (Texas) 3, Southwestern 2

-Ricky Nelson

10/27/18: Tommies hold off #13 Blugolds

Washington-St. Louis Invite
#12 Washington-St. Louis, Aurora, Wartburg, Millikin, Texas Dallas, DePauw, Belhaven
DePauw 3, Aurora 1; Texas Dallas 3, DePauw 0; Warburg 3, Aurora 0; #12 Washington-St. Louis 3, Millikin 1; Wartburg 3, Belhaven 0; #12 Washington-St. Louis 3, Texas Dallas 0; Millikin 3, Belhaven 0.

Illinois Wesleyan Classic
#14 Illinois Wesleyan, Coe, Cornell, Dominican, Nebraska Wesleyan, Illinois College, Webster, Centre
#14 Illinois Wesleyan 3, Nebraska Wesleyan 0; Cornell 3, Webster 0; #14 Illinois Wesleyan 3, Cornell 1; Dominican 3, Webster 0; Coe 3, Centre 0; Illinois College 3, Dominican 0.

UW-Stevens Point Tri
Carthage, UW-Stevens Point, UW-La Crosse
Carthage 3, UW-La Crosse 2; Carthage 3, UW-Stevens Point 1.

Benedictine Classic
Elmhurst, Wheaton (Ill.), Benedictine, Concordia Chicago, Lincoln
Wheaton (Ill.) 3, Concordia Chicago 1; Elmhurst 3, Benedictine 1; Wheaton (Ill.) 3, Benedictine 0; Elmhurst 3, Lincoln 0; Concordia Chicago 3, Lincoln 0.

Wisconsin Lutheran Invite
Wisconsin Lutheran, UW-River Falls, Central, Maranatha Baptist, MSOE
UW-River Falls 3, MSOE 0; Maranatha Baptist 3, Central 1; MSOE 3, Wisconsin Lutheran 1; UW-River Falls 3, Maranatha Baptist 0.

Edgewood Crossover
Lakeland, St. Norbert, Edgewood, Lawrence
Edgewood 3, St. Norbert 2; St. Norbert 3, Lakeland 1; Edgewood 3, Lawrence 0; Lakeland 3, Lawrence 0.

Finlandia Classic
Finlandia, Rockford, Grace Christian
Grace Christian 3, Rockford 1; Finlandia 3, Grace Christian 0.

WIAC
UW-Stout 3, UW-Oshkosh 2 UWS’s Ripley had 15 kills, 15 digs.

MIAC
St. Thomas 3, St. Catherine 0 UST’s Kroehler had 8 kills, 12 digs.
Augsburg 3, Bethel 1 AC’s Malley had 6 kills, 55 assists, 18 digs.
Saint Benedict 3, Concordia 1 CSB’s M. Weiss had 14 kills, 8 blocks.
Hamline 3, Macalester 0 HU’s Larson had 11 kills.

UMAC
Northwestern 3, Martin Luther 0 UNW outhit MLC, .233 to -.029.

MWC
Ripon 3, Beloit 0 RC outhit BC, .220 to -.044.

SLIAC
Principia 3, Westminster 1 PC’s Hathaway had 19 kills, 17 digs.
Eureka 3, MacMurray 1 EC’s Robinson had 8 kills, 23 assists, 11 digs.
Iowa Wesleyan 3, Spalding 2 IWU’s Kammerer had 7 kills, 31 assists, 11 digs.

Nonconference
St. Thomas 3, #13 UW-Eau Claire 2 UST’s Mallak had 63 assists, 10 digs.
Bethany Lutheran 3, Macalester 2 BLC’s Rutt had 22 kills, 11 digs.
Grinnell 3, Illinois Tech 1 GC’s Kuhn had 15 kills, 18 digs.
North Central (Minn.) 3, Mount Mary 0 NCU’s Middendorf had 19 kills.

Top 25 Upset Watch
#1 Calvin 3, Alma 0
#2 Johnson & Wales (R.I.) 3, Suffolk 0
#2 Johnson & Wales (R.I.) 3, Saint Joseph’s (Maine) 0
#3 Wittenberg 3, Otterbein 0
#4 Colorado College 3, Dallas 0
#4 Colorado College 3, Johnson & Wales (Colo.) 0
#5 Thomas More 3, Salem 0
#5 Thomas More 3, Washington and Lee 1
#6 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 3, Chapman 2
#7 Juniata 3, Catholic 0
#7 Juniata 3, Scranton 0
#8 Emory 3, Washington and Lee 0
Birmingham-Southern 3, #8 Emory 1
#10 Trinity (Texas) 3, Austin 1
#10 Trinity (Texas) 3, Centenary (La.) 0
#15 Hope 3, Olivet 0
#16 Texas Tyler 3, Louisiana College 0
#16 Texas Tyler 3, Hendrix 0
#17 Pacific Lutheran 3, Whitworth 1
#19 Ithaca, Ohio Wesleyan [canceled]
#19 Ithaca, Brockport [canceled]
#20 Berry 3, Virginia Wesleyan 0
Our Lady of the Lake 3, #21 Mary Hardin-Baylor 2
#21 Mary Hardin-Baylor 3, St. Thomas (Texas) 2
#22 Ohio Northern 3, Mount Union 2
#23 Christopher Newport 3, Averett 0
#24 Bowdoin 3, Connecticut College 0
#25 MIT 3, WPI 1

-Ricky Nelson

10/26/18: #13 UWEC wins WIAC, Aurora sweeps #12 WUSTL

Washington-St. Louis Invite
#12 Washington-St. Louis, Aurora, Wartburg, Millikin, Texas Dallas, DePauw, Belhaven
Aurora 3, Belhaven 0; DePauw 3, Wartburg 0; Aurora 3, #12 Washington-St. Louis 0; Texas Dallas 3, Millikin 0; #12 Washington-St. Louis 3, Wartburg 1.

Illinois Wesleyan Classic
#14 Illinois Wesleyan, Coe, Nebraska Wesleyan, Illinois College, Webster, Centre
Nebraska Wesleyan 3, Centre 0; Illinois College 3, Nebraska Wesleyan 1; Coe 3, Webster 1; #14 Illinois Wesleyan 3, Coe 0; Illinois College 3, Centre 0.

Augustana Bash
Augustana, Simpson, Illinois Tech
Augustana 3, Simpson 0; Augustana 3, Illinois Tech 0; Simpson 3, Illinois Tech 2.

Wisconsin Lutheran Invite
Wisconsin Lutheran, Central, Maranatha Baptist, MSOE
Wisconsin Lutheran 3, Central 2; Maranatha Baptist 3, MSOE 0; Wisconsin Lutheran 3, Maranatha Baptist 1; Central 3, MSOE 0.

Finlandia Classic
Finlandia, Rockford, Grace Bible
Grace Christian 3, Finlandia 1; Finlandia 3, Rockford 0.

Dubuque Quad
Dubuque, Loras, Grinnell, Alverno
Dubuque 3, Alverno 0; Dubuque 3, Grinnell 1; Loras 3, Alverno 1; Loras 3, Grinnell 0.

WIAC
#13 UW-Eau Claire 3, #18 UW-Whitewater 1 UWEC’s Pashibin had 16 kills.
UW-La Crosse 3, UW-Stevens Point 0 UWL’s Johnson hit 13-2-25 with 11 digs.
UW-River Falls 3, UW-Platteville 2 UWRF’s Nielsen had 14 kills, 8 blocks.

CCIW
Carroll 3, North Park 0 CU’s Dunnam hit 10-0-23 with 5 blocks.
Wheaton 3, North Central 0 WC’s Smith had 10 kills.

MIAC
#9 Gustavus Adolphus 3, Saint Mary’s 1 GAC’s K. Holtan had 15 kills, 15 digs.
St. Olaf 3, Carleton 1 SOC’s Rewers had 14 kills, 12 digs.

UMAC
UW-Superior 3, North Central 0 UWS outhit NCU, .386 to .044.

MWC
St. Norbert 3, Beloit 0 SNC had 52 kills, hit .415.
Lake Forest 3, Ripon 0 LFC’s Larson had 15 kills, 13 digs.
Monmouth 3, Knox 0 MC’s Dulee had 42 assists.

SLIAC
Greenville 3, Fontbonne 2 GU’s Freeman had 30 kills, 11 digs.
MacMurray 3, Spalding 0 MC had 51 kills, hit .365.

Nonconference
#11 Chicago 3, Elmhurst 0 UC’s Scrafford hit 19-3-32.
St. Thomas 3, Northwestern 0 UST’s Erickson hit 11-2-16.
Crown 3, Mount Mary 1 CC’s Anderson had 14 kills, 8 blocks.

Top 25 Upset Watch
#1 Calvin 3, #16 Hope 0
#2 Johnson & Wales (R.I.) 3, Hunter 0
#2 Johnson & Wales (R.I.) 3, Kean 1
#4 Colorado College 3, Mississippi Women 0
#5 Thomas More 3, Randolph-Macon 0
Birmingham-Southern 3, #5 Thomas More 1
#6 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 3, Whittier 1
#8 Emory 3, Salem 0
#8 Emory 3, Randolph-Macon 0
#17 Pacific Lutheran 3, Whitman 0
Carnegie Mellon 3, #19 Ithaca 1
#20 Berry 3, Averett 0
#20 Berry 3, #23 Christopher Newport 2
#23 Christopher Newport 3, Virginia Wesleyan 0
#24 Bowdoin 3, Wesleyan 1

-Ricky Nelson