SFA Checks in at Number 37 in First Volleyball RPI Rankings of 2019
10/7/2019 2:39:00 PM | Women's Volleyball
Ranking is team's highest in program history
Complete NCAA Division I Volleyball RPI Rankings | Complete AVCA Weekly Release
NACOGDOCHES, Texas - Not only has the SFA volleyball team appeared in the receiving votes section of the last three American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) NCAA Division I weekly polls, its success thus far in 2019 has yielded the program's best RPI to date.
The NCAA released the first volleyball RPI rankings of the 2019 campaign Monday morning and the Ladyjacks checked in at 37th. That RPI marks the first time in the history of the program in which the Ladyjacks were ranked in the top 40 of any RPI ranking and also exceeds the previous program record for best RPI. The previous high was SFA's ranking of 42 at the conclusion of the 2018 campaign.
SFA's RPI of 37 makes the Ladyjacks the only Southland Conference with an RPI among the nation's top 150 and as of this writing SFA has posted seven wins over top-100 RPI teams. The most notable of those triumphs came on September 14 when the Ladyjacks took down Rice in five sets in Arlington, Texas. That loss is the Owls' lone setback of the year and they are currently ranked 21st in the nation and boast the ninth-best RPI in the land.
Other top-100 RPI programs that SFA has bested this year include Northwestern (68), SMU (78), Arkansas State (79), UTSA (83), Loyola-Chicago (86) and Texas Tech (94).
In addition to SFA's news about the inaugural RPI rankings of the 2019 season, the Ladyjacks are now receiving six votes in the October 7 edition of the AVCA NCAA Division I Coaches Poll. That's up from four votes last week and three votes two weeks ago.
Wednesday evening, the Ladyjacks will put the finishing touches on their three-match Southland Conference road trip by heading to the Big Easy for a 6:30 p.m. showdown with New Orleans. Following their tilt with the Privateers, the Ladyjacks return to Shelton Gym for a Saturday afternoon matchup against Abilene Christian at 1:00 p.m. which will be broadcast nationwide on ESPN3 and the ESPN app.
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