INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA released its final batch of region rankings Wednesday afternoon before the final field is set as Carson-Newman remained in seventh for a third consecutive week.
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.
The Eagles would be the final at-large team in the field with a Conference Carolinas club expected to be the No. 8 seed. C-N have played nine matches against teams ranked in the top 10 posting a 3-6 record against those schools. Dave Franklin's club will have a chance to bolster its resume Friday against No. 4 Anderson.
Wingate continues to have a stranglehold on the top position despite finishing in second in the SAC regular season standings. The Bulldogs have won seven straight matches and pummeled Lincoln Memorial in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament.
Flagler moves from fourth to second in a week as the Saints have won 17 matches in-a-row. The group won the Peach Belt regular season championship and will play the winner of Augusta and Lander, the No. 8 and No. 9 teams in the region.
USC Aiken sits in third after finishing second in the PBC. The Pacers get UNC Pembroke in the PBC quarterfinals on Friday at 4 p.m.
Anderson drops a spot to fourth despite holding the nation's third-longest winning streak of 22 affairs in succession and winning the SAC regular season title.
Georgia College displaces Queens (N.C.) for fifth as the Bobcats have won seven of their last eight contests while the Royals are 3-2 in their last five. Queens plays Wingate in the SAC semifinals Friday at 4 p.m.
Barton makes its debut in the region rankings after coasting to the Conference Carolinas championship sweeping Erskine, Southern Wesleyan and Belmont Abbey to clinch its seconds straight NCAA berth.
With the selection show available on Monday, Nov. 20 at 7:30 p.m. on NCAA.com, the pairings for the 2017 NCAA Women's Volleyball Championships will released.
Carson-Newman gets its shot at Anderson Friday inside of Holt Fieldhouse for a 6:30 p.m. first serve in the SAC semifinals.
|
Rank |
School |
Record |
|
1 |
Wingate |
24-2 |
|
2 |
Flagler |
20-3 |
|
3 |
USC Aiken |
23-3 |
|
4 |
Anderson |
26-3 |
|
5 |
Georgia College |
21-6 |
|
6 |
Queens |
19-7 |
|
7 |
Carson-Newman |
15-13 |
|
8 |
Augusta |
16-14 |
|
9 |
Lander |
15-11 |
|
10 |
Barton |
23-6 |
- CN -
