The Nifty Nine Dominate the Polls
It is good to be atop the AVCA poll, because you will likely stay there. Also, tons of SIAC action today.
A handful of matches today as we ease back into the volleyball rhythm. The featured conference of the day is the SIAC, with four of their six teams playing. In their third year, the SIAC has a major prize near the end of the season: an automatic qualifier for the national tournament. This will be their first year with a presence at the tournament.
With several big players transferring out coming into this season, there is room for several teams to make a big splash in the conference. As the SIAC continues to grow and recruit better and better players, the game as a whole will benefit. These are exciting times for Men’s Volleyball and I am incredibly thankful the SIAC is part of it.
Has the AVCA poll stabilized?
The top 9 teams (the Nifty Nine?1) in the AVCA poll are an exclusive group. No team that started the season ranked 10 or higher has been able to break into the single digits. This also means that those nine teams continue to stay the same nine teams, just in a slightly different order.
Here is a quick look at the history of the poll this year. I removed labels and changed colors to help show the difference between the top-9 and the rest of the field.
Looking at the actual ranking, I think Pepperdine is best positioned to break into the Nifty ranks. They will be playing MPSF matches starting this week, so they have the opportunity to face several top teams. An upset will likely vault them into a prime position.
The real question should be, are these the nine best programs in the country right now? It is possible and likely even. I also think something else is happening though. First, the hard divide makes me think it will take a lot (probably too much) to change the coaches’ minds. Second, the chaos in ranks 10 through 20 shows how little consensus there really is. I think this is showing the growth of parity. The downside is that those teams are getting whiplash from being thrown around the rankings every week.
The green lines on the graph are much straighter than the blue lines, overall. I would love to see some leveling out of the changes across the board. That would help decrease the whiplash week-to-week and likely better represent the landscape of Men’s Volleyball as a whole.
What do do think of the division in the rankings and who will be the first to break the invisible ceiling of the Nifty Nine?
Match Recaps
No matches yesterday.
Match Projections
IVA
Missouri S&T (44%) vs Maryville (56%)
Non-conference
Thomas More (84%) vs Kentucky State (16%)
Benedict (53%) vs St. Andrews (47%)
Morehouse (19%) vs Truett-McConnell (81%)
Fort Valley State (29%) vs Emmanuel (71%)
I’m open to other names. If this sticks though, I’m definitely trademarking it.
The Nifty Nine may become the Uneven Eleven. Conference play will showcase some teams that have been lying in the weeds (battling health, settling on rotations and lineups).