I posted a few weeks ago that we were getting hosed in the Volleyball rankings, and everyone said "chill out, there are a lot of good teams". We've done nothing but win since and aren't even showing up on the radar!

WE ARE 23-2!!!

See the teams below that are getting props:


http://www.ncaa.com/sports/w-volley/division_i1.html


We should at least be getting M--- F---n votes by now, someone edumacate me please.

GO HUSKIES, SEE YOU AT THE TOLEDO GAME!

I don't really disagree, but I think the problem is the schedule. NIU's RPI is 47, which means the strength of schedule has to pretty low with a record of 23-2. I don't think they've beaten a ranked team and one of NIU's two losses was 3-0 to a Wisconsin team that is 2-8 in the Big Ten, which doesn't help its case at all.

FWIW, NIU is #41 in Massey's ratings and they've played the 155th-ranked schedule.

I agree that should way in, but not getting ANY votes at 23-2?

(10-25-2010 10:20 PM)NIUfilmmaker Wrote:  I agree that should way in, but not getting ANY votes at 23-2?

It looks like schedule strength plays a pretty big part in the rankings for the voters. I've also noticed that teams don't tend to fall as far as they do in football when they lose. Penn State at one point lost 3 of 4 or something like that and only fell from #2 to #9.

It looks like the top teams tend to play each other pretty frequently and they all tend to just sort of split those matches so at the top of the rankings everybody tends to stagnate a little bit. I think that's why it's hard for teams to move up into the rankings, the teams that are already in the rankings don't tend to go anywhere.

Without any real knowledge, I wonder if whoever votes in the rankings tend to be set in their views and only minimally adaptable to things that challenge the way they saw things going into the year.

Do the rankings matter? Do they play a tournament later?

Bragging rights. Having a top 25 football program and volleyball program looks great fundraising materials, etc.

(10-25-2010 10:49 PM)NIUfilmmaker Wrote:  Bragging rights. Having a top 25 football program and volleyball program looks great fundraising materials, etc.

true. i should go watch a match.

right, but assuming they win the MAC, they get into the tourney right?

Is that how it works in vball? I have no knowledge, so I'm just asking

They could remain unranked until the end of the season so long as I'm concerned....let them prove what they've got in the MAC Tourney and the NCAA Tourney

(10-25-2010 11:46 PM)17Huskies Wrote:  right, but assuming they win the MAC, they get into the tourney right?

Is that how it works in vball? I have no knowledge, so I'm just asking

Correct, and the NCAA uses the RPI as one of the tools for the at-large NCAA tourney bids...so it's picked pretty similar to how they do basketball. The polls don't make any difference.

The loss to Ball State at home hurt us too. It also seems that with programs that haven't made a splash for a while ( 10 years for us) it takes longer for voters to accept the newfound level of success. If this was Ohio University with the same record and the same two losses, they'd be getting votes. If we sweep this weekend, which includes a road match at Ball State, I think we'll get some votes. We need to win the MAC tourney to ensure a NCAA bid, but the MAC has received a decent number of at-large bids in the past. If we wind up with 27 -28 wins and at least get to the MAC semi's, we should get in.

(10-25-2010 11:46 PM)17Huskies Wrote:  right, but assuming they win the MAC, they get into the tourney right?

Is that how it works in vball? I have no knowledge, so I'm just asking

Yes. And two years ago, three MAC teams total went to the tournament: two at-large and one automatic. Last year only the automatic went.