(First off, props to the AVCA webmaster{s} for their site re-design. It’s now much easier to navigate than it was before)
Let’s just say I don’t agree with the voters.
BYU remain #1, but interestingly it’s no longer unanimous. Did Stanford, or perhaps UC Irvine steal a top vote? No. It was Penn State who did. The Nittany Lions are sixth in the current poll, which is low enough to suggest that this one first-place vote was something of an aberration. And as I expected, but don’t agree to, UC Irvine moved up to #2. Their margin over Stanford in third is just 2 points. Pepperdine slipped two ranks to #4, tenuously ahead of UCLA in fifth. I’d have dropped the Waves a touch further (they seriously did not play well last night), but this is fine.
The parts that I really don’t care for are further down the poll. Let the overvaluing of the MPSF continue. What do a five-set squeaker against a 3-5 UCSB team and a straight sets drubbing by UCLA get Pacific? In my vote, it knocked them out. In the actual poll, it moves them up — three freaking ranks. Now granted, UCSB and UCSD had bad weeks, too (though they both remain ranked), but the voters have got to realize there’s more than just one conference.
Surprisingly, despite two strong wins, Lewis remain moored at #15, perhaps evidence of more ‘West Coast Bias’ (love it). Hawaii, who I expected to be ranked in this poll, are just in the cutoff, five points in the arrears of Lewis in the ‘also receiving votes’ section. That section also contains a small glimmer of hope for this poll, as Harvard appear in the ‘also receiving votes’ section. As I did, at least two of the actual poll voters place them among them among the top 15.
You can view the complete poll here.
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