The coaches' poll comes out tomorrow, but I won't be around tomorrow, and I really do want to start getting some power rankings out there, so let's do it.
1. UCLA. I think the Bruins have a fair shot to be #1 tomorrow, too. I was really excited about them towards the end of last year (and not alone in that) and I don't think I've wavered from believing in them very much. The only mark against them this season is a close loss to a Stanford team that are much, much, much better than their recent results, so I'm happy to have them atop my rankings. Last week, they took six straight sets against Pacific and UCSB (who beat Stanford). They've got a busy week this week, with three matches — home against UC Irvie tomorrow, at UC San Diego Thursday, and then at UC Irvine on Saturday.
2. Loyola. Playing in the MIVA puts Loyola in a no-win situation, especially with Lewis looking like anything but world-beaters. They've been #1 in the media poll, which comes out mid-week, before, and I suspect they may be again this week. But on the whole, playing matches against the likes of Sacred Heart and Harvard (last week) or even Ohio State and Lewis (this week) can only hurt them, not help them. Win and, well of course you won, you were supposed to win. Lose, and get ravaged in the rankings. But no question, the Ramblers are an elite team this season, and should they wind up needing it, they may even get an at-large for the NCAA tournament. That's a ways down the road, though. This week it's the beginning of conference play.
3. BYU. You have to be impressed by what BYU have done after their sluggish start to the season. One wonders if they'll be anywhere near as good on the road as they are at home. They'll get the chance to find out starting this week, with two tough matches, at Pepperdine and at USC. They're actually not back home for almost a month, also facing Cal Baptist, Pacific, and Stanford on the road before returning home for the return match with USC. They should easily defeat Baptist and Pacific, and winning one of the other three matches would make it a winning road trip. Anything above that is a bonus.
4. Long Beach State. And so we see how the MPSF standings and the national rankings are going to be kind of a clusterfridge this season. You absolutely could put Pepperdine here, and arguably I should. But I'm not. Deal with it. Coming off a win over those Waves, the fourth straight AVCA #1 to fall while holding the ranking, the 49ers have to be in the conversation, even with an early three conference losses. They head on the road to Stanford and Pacific this week.
5. Pepperdine. I wasn't necessarily a believer in the Waves yet, so this 5-ranking doesn't indicate them getting kicked in the teeth. I might have had them at 3 or 4 had I done rankings last week. I still see their upcoming match with UCLA as a big, big proving ground. With or without the loss to Long Beach, that match means a lot in determining how Pepperdine measure up. But that match isn't until next week. This week, the Waves have just one contest, against BYU. And that's an important match, too, but not quite as important as the tilt with UCLA.
6. USC. Along with Pepperdine, I think others are higher on USC than I am. Wins over Loyola and Long Beach State matter (it's kinda shocking that a win over UC Irvine arguably doesn't), but a three-set loss to Cal State Northridge looks like it might be a bad one this season. I'm in wait-and-see mode, I guess. The Trojans are home for the next two weeks, getting Cal Baptist and BYU this week.
7. Stanford. I think they're better than this ranking — I think they could be quite a bit better than this ranking — but results have to matter at some point. They may not even be this high in the AVCA poll. After three close road losses to very strong teams, the Cardinal righted the ship against the largely hapless Cal Baptist Lancers, sweeping them on their home court Saturday night. They head home now, drawing Long Beach State and Cal State Northridge this week, and UC San Diego and UC Irvine next week. They can't just win the matches they're "supposed" to — they need to make a statement, too, and even with Long Beach and Irvine seeming a bit down from where they were 9 months ago, beating them will still mean a little something. I look for the Card to go on a nice roll.
8. Hawaii. The Rainbow Warriors had about the easiest time of it they will at any point this season, drawing the also almost-always-overmatched UC San Diego Tritons for a home double-shot. The second match isn't actually until later tonight, so I may even write it up, but I can't imagine Hawaii will have any trouble. They didn't on Friday night, except for brief periods of shooting themselves in the foot. They've got a two-fer on the mainland against UCSB coming up next.
9. UC Santa Barbara. The Gauchos rode high after beating then-#1 Stanford last week, but they came back to earth a little this week when facing UCLA and UC Irvine, the former on the road and the latter at home. They're still part of the (now more than ever) shark's cage that is the MPSF, but they're a bit down this week. Coming up, as mentioned, is a two-fer with Hawaii.
10. Lewis. The Flyers aren't making it easy to paint them as an elite team this season. They've won five in a row, which is terrific, but would an elite national team have dropped sets to Mount Olive, Erskine, and Harvard? I'm just not sure I would say that. "Results have to matter" cuts both ways, and wins are wins, so it's not as if they need to give them back or anything. I just am not quite impressed, per se, by Lewis so far. They'll get the chance to impress next week when they host Loyola. This week, it's a non-counter against the NAIA's Missouri Baptist.
ALSO UNDER CONSIDERATION (listed in alphabetical order): IPFW, Penn State, UC Irvine
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