NAIA Rankings and Tournament Stuff!

With 219 teams (according to the NAIA website, http://www.naia.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27900&ATCLID=205323158), NAIA women’s volleyball programs are spread all across the USA. We are entering the “Opening Rounds” phase of the NAIA Women’s National Volleyball Championship, which are played at various campus sites across the nation. After these opening rounds, we’ll enter the “Pool Play” phase of the tournament.

37th Annual NAIA Women’s Volleyball National Championship, presented by F&M Bank and Absolute Screen Art
Nov. 19, 2016 – Opening Rounds @ Campus Sites
Nov. 29 – Dec. 3, 2016 – Pool Play and Final Rounds @ Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa

Opening Rounds
November 19 at Campus Sites, All times local

Here are the top 25 programs from the November 18, 2016, Net Set Rankings for NAIA women’s volleyball.

But, what is the NAIA? From the NAIA website (http://www.naia.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27900&ATCLID=205323019) we obtain this description.

“The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., is a governing body of small athletics programs that are dedicated to character-driven intercollegiate athletics. Since 1937, the NAIA has administered programs and championships in proper balance with the overall college educational experience. The student-athlete is the center of all NAIA experiences. Each year more than 60,000 student-athletes have the opportunity to play college sports at NAIA member institutions.”

And, after reading that explanation of what the NAIA represents, I’ll explain the methodology used to derive the Net Set NAIA Rankings.

Net Set (NS) NAIA Rankings and the NS Index are an average from the two polls or rankings listed below. The NS Rank is a numerical average based upon the positions of teams in these polls or rankings. In the Net Set Ranking, the team’s position in each poll or ranking is summed and then averaged to create the NS Index. This NS Index is then arranged, or ranked, in ascending order, with the lowest NS Index determining the number 1 team, the second lowest NS index determining the number 2 team, and so forth.

1. Tachikara-NAIA Volleyball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, 11/14/16 (http://www.naia.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27900&ATCLID=211266974).

This poll was voted upon by a panel of head coaches representing each of the NAIA conferences, the NAIA Association of Independent Institutions, and various NAIA Unaffiliated Groups. Thus, NAIA coaches are voting on the teams in the NAIA poll, and these are the women and men who see these teams in action up close and personal, and undoubtedly are one of the best sources on information for this poll. To see the most recent (November 14, 2016) NAIA poll intact, with all 25 teams, first-place votes, ranking points, and other neat info, go to: (http://www.naia.org/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=27900&ATCLID=211266974).

2. The Pablo Rankings, 11/14/16 (http://www.richkern.com/vb/FreePage.asp).

The Pablo Rankings are an incredibly ingenious ranking system that operates on a probabilistic, algorithmic approach and analyzes and measures the difference in abilities between two teams overall and in a match. In terms of accuracy and predictive analytics, the Pablo Rankings are the most accurate mathematical model available today. You can find a detailed explanation of the Pablo Rankings at this web location: (http://www.richkern.com/vb/rankings/PabloFAQ.asp).

View the Pablo Rankings, the best pure statistical ranking available, at RichKern.com: (http://www.richkern.com/vb/rankings/FreePageRankings.asp).

Also, here’s a quick analysis of the NAIA conferences in this rating along with their full conference names and the number of teams each conference has in the ranking.

Let’s Grow Volleyball.