November 4, 2015

First regional rankings pin Eagles third in Southeast

INDIANAPOLIS – With three regular season matches to play for the Carson-Newman Eagles, the team is ranked third in the Southeast Region as announced by the NCAA Wednesday afternoon.

INDIANAPOLIS – With three regular season matches to play for the Carson-Newman Eagles, the team is ranked third in the Southeast Region as announced by the NCAA Wednesday afternoon.

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 in the eight teams for three straight days from December 3-6. The winner of the region will advance to the NCAA National Championships from December 10-12 in Tampa.

Carson-Newman has played seven matches against regionally-ranked teams in the Southeast Region this year going 4-3 in such matches. USC Aiken is the top team in the region checking in with a 23-3 record and riding a 14-match winning streak. The Pacers are 5-1 against other ranked squads with their lone loss coming in four sets on October 2 at Montevallo. Wingate slides into the second spot having beaten the Eagles twice this year. The Bulldogs are 23-2 overall and have won 16 straight. Like USC Aiken, Wingate is 5-1 against other regionally-ranked sides with the loss coming at Lenoir-Rhyne on September 18.

According to the ratings percentage index supplement the Pacers have a strength of schedule of .541 and an RPI of .627, the Eagles have a SOS of .534 and a .603 RPI and Wingate checks in with the lowest strength of schedule of the group at .502 and RPI at .602.

The Eagles lost twice to Wingate and once to USC Aiken on the year in head-to-head contests. Carson-Newman also lost to Grand Valley State earlier in the season as the Lakers are sixth in the Midwest Region.

Flagler takes the No. 4 spot as the Saints sport a five-match winning streak and the fourth-best RPI in the region at .599. Flagler is 5-1 this season in in-region nonconference contests.

Checking in at No. 5 is the Lander Bearcats. Carson-Newman swept Lander in South Carolina on November 10. Lander has a 12 wins in nonconference matches this season, the most of any team in the Southeast Region.

If postseason play began today, Carson-Newman's opponent would be the team that bounced the Eagles from the 2014 NCAA Tournament, Armstrong. Despite having two in-region nonconference wins, the Pirates are in third in the Peach Belt standings.

Montevallo, a team Carson-Newman defeated in four sets on September 26, is seventh and have nine in-region nonconference wins on its resume.

Erskine, the first Conference Carolinas on the list, would be the final team in the field if the season ended today. Winners of 15 consecutive matches, albeit all against Conference Carolinas teams, the Flying Fleet have the sixth-highest RPI in the region to this point at .583.

Limestone and Lenoir-Rhyne are just outside of the top-eight in the initial standings.

The selection show for the NCAA Volleyball Championships is scheduled for Monday, November 23 at 6 p.m.