Coaches Poll Places Volleyball in 25 spot

The Nebraska Wesleyan University volleyball team entered the AVCA Division III Coaches Top 25 Poll that was released on Sept. 22. The Prairie Wolves are ranked No. 24 in last week’s poll.

NWU appears in the AVCA Top 25 for the first time since 2003, when the Prairie Wolves were ranked no. 25 in the Sept. 10, 2003 poll.

This is the 39th week that NWU has been ranked since 1992.

NWU entered the poll with an 11-3 overall record to start the 2009 season. The Prairie Wolves became ranked after an impressive weekend where they went 4-0 to claim the Simpson College Tournament championship.

NWU knocked off then-no. 4 ranked Carthage College, 3-1, in the title match.

The Prairie Wolves have completed their NCAA Division III portion of their schedule with a 10-2 record. One of their losses was a 3-2 decision to Wisconsin-Oshkosh, the new no. 1 team in the nation. The other came to St. Mary’s of Minnesota, who they came back to defeat, 3-0, last weekend.

NWU is attempting to qualify for the NCAA III National Tournament for the sixth straight season this year. In 2008, NWU made it to the second round of the NCAA III Tournament, before falling to eventual National Runner-up University of La Verne in California.

NWU returned to normal GPAC action Friday night, but suffered a tough five-set loss against Dana College.

The team did manage to bounce back with a solid 3-1 victory over Midland Lutheran College on Saturday afternoon in Fremont, Neb. The Prairie Wolves lost the first set, but took the final three including a 30-28 win the fourth set.

NWU improves to 13-4 overall and 3-2 in GPAC play.

NWU will be back in action on Oct. 2 when they travel to Doane College before coming home to host Mount Marty College on Saturday, Oct. 3.