INDIANPOLIS – There were two swaps in the NCAA's Southeast Region rankings released Wednesday afternoon as Carson-Newman did not move from last week's seventh slot with one week remaining in the regular season.
"It shows the resiliency of youth," Carson-Newman coach Dave Franklin said. "The returners that experienced [a three-win] season last year were really committed in the spring. We committed to a building a culture. We laid a really good foundation. This fall we have been learning to live it."
The top eight teams make the NCAA Division II Playoffs with an automatic qualifier coming from the South Atlantic Conference, the Peach Belt Conference and Conference Carolinas. The No. 1 team in the region will host the eight teams for three straight days from Dec. 1-3. The winner of the region will advance to the NCAA National Championships from Dec. 7-9 in Pensacola, Fla.
On the year, the Eagles have played nine matches against teams ranked in the top 10 posting a 3-6 record against those schools. C-N has two outings remaining during the regular against regionally-ranked teams this weekend against No. 1 Wingate and No. 5 Queens (N.C.).
The top three teams remained the same with Wingate, USC Aiken and Anderson at the top of the ladder. Queens fell to Catawba last week and dropped to five as Flagler moved up to four.
Georgia College sits in fifth place with 19-5 overall record holding a sweep over the Eagles this season.
Tuesday evening Lander lost in four sets to Augusta as the Bearcats and Jaguars switched spots. Each team plays USC Aiken prior to getting set for the PBC Championships.
Tusculum is clinging to the 10th spot in the region and faces the top team in the SAC, Anderson, Friday night at 7 p.m. to conclude the regular season.
Conference Carolinas does not have a team in the top 10 but will receive a bid from its conference tournament champion and be seeded eighth.
The final batch of regional rankings will be released on Nov. 15 with the selection show available on Monday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. on NCAA.com.
|
Rank |
School |
Record |
|
1 |
Wingate |
22-2 |
|
2 |
USC Aiken |
22-4 |
|
3 |
Anderson |
24-3 |
|
4 |
Flagler |
19-6 |
|
5 |
Queens (N.C.) |
19-3 |
|
6 |
Georgia College |
19-5 |
|
7 |
Carson-Newman |
14-12 |
|
8 |
Augusta |
16-13 |
|
9 |
Lander |
15-9 |
|
10 |
Tusculum |
15-14 |
- CN -
