INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Anderson University volleyball team, which is the No. 3 seed in this week's South Atlantic Conference Tournament, is tabbed sixth in the Southeast Region in the NCAA's third Division II Southeast Region rankings of the season, as released Wednesday afternoon.
Nationally 24th-ranked Wingate (29-1), which won the South Atlantic Conference regular-season title, is the top team in the rankings for the third straight week. The Bulldogs will be looking avenge their only loss of the season and maintain their hold on No. 1 when they square off against fourth-seeded Carson-Newman, Friday afternoon in the semifinals of the SAC Tournament.
USC Aiken, which has dropped two of its last three decisions, remains at the top of the Peach Belt Conference standings with a 25-4 overall record and held on to the No. 2 slot in the rankings with the PBC Tournament Semifinals slated to start on Saturday. Queens (23-5), which is the No. 2 seed in the SAC Championship, is riding an eight-game win streak heading into Friday's matchup with Anderson and occupies the third spot in the weekly poll.
Carson-Newman (23-7), at No. 4, has won eight of its last nine outings and moved up two spots this week as the Eagles look to make it two in a row over Wingate. Augusta (24-8) also moved up two spots into fifth after winning six of its last seven as the Jags prepare for a matchup with UNC Pembroke in the PBC Quarterfinals on Friday.
The Trojans are sixth, with Flagler (22-7) inching up to the No. 7 spot after capturing a pair of wins last week. Lander (19-9), which is fourth in the Peach Belt after losing three of its last four, fell from sixth to eighth in the NCAA weekly poll.
Lenoir-Rhyne (16-15) and Mars Hill (15-15), each of which were eliminated from the SAC Tournament on Tuesday night, round out the 10 teams in the poll.
Eight teams from each of the eight regions will advance to the NCAA Division II tournament. In the Southeast Region, the tournament champions from the South Atlantic Conference, Peach Belt, and Conference Carolinas will receive an automatic bid, with five more at-large selections.
The NCAA D-II Tournament selections scheduled to be unveiled on Monday night at 7:30 p.m. on www.ncaa.com.
Anderson, which is seeded third in the South Atlantic Conference Championship, is slated to square off against No. 2 seed and host Queens in the tournament semifinals, Friday night in Charlotte, N.C. First-serve versus the Royals is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at the Levine Center.
Complete Rankings
Overall Record
1. Wingate 29-1
2. USC Aiken 25-4
3. Queens 23-5
4. Carson-Newman 23-7
5. Augusta 24-8
6. Anderson 22-6
7. Flagler 22-7
8. Lander 19-9
9. Lenoir-Rhyne 16-15
10. Mars Hill 15-15
