WSC finishes 4th, UNK 15th in final AVCA Division II coaches poll
WAYNE, Neb. -- The record-setting Wayne State College volleyball team finished fourth in the final AVCA Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll, with fellow in-state school UNK coming in at 15th.
The Wildcats concluded the season with a 30-3 record, while winning the NSIC regular season title for the first time in school history. It was just the fourth 30-win season for the Wildcats in program history. The Wildcats earned the top seed in the central region, earning the right to host the most competitive region in the country, ultimately falling in the second round to St. Cloud State.
The top two teams in the poll, national champion West Texas A&M and second-ranked Concordia-St. Paul, were both beaten by Wayne State this season. The Wildcats beat West Texas A&M in five sets at the Colorado Premier Challenge in September. Wayne State swept Concordia-St. Paul in Colorado, as well, before beating the Golden Bears in both of their conference meetings later in the season.
Wayne State's inclusion in the final poll marks the 13th time in the last 16 years that WSC has ended the year with a national ranking. It’s the second-highest ever national ranking to end the season in school history, trailing only the 2015 squad's No. 3 ranking.
The Wildcats were ranked in every AVCA poll this season and spent five weeks ranked #1 in the country.
UNK also qualified for the central regional tournament, falling in a five-set opening round thriller to Concordia-St. Paul. The Lopers finished 28-6 overall. UNK was in the top 10 in every poll until Oct. 31.
A total of eight teams from the central region were ranked in the final poll, including seven of the top 15.
AVCA Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll – Final Poll: December 5, 2022
2022 Previous
Rank School (First-Place Votes) Points Record Rank
1 West Texas A&M [47] 1175 33-4 9
2 Concordia-St. Paul 1125 31-6 3
3 MSU Denver 1014 30-2 1
4 Wayne State (Neb.) 972 30-3 2
5 St. Cloud State 913 28-6 7
6 Cal State L.A. 873 25-7 19
7 Minnesota Duluth 842 27-5 6
8 Barry 801 28-6 17
9 Tampa 772 29-4 5
10 Alaska Anchorage 718 27-3 4
11 Missouri-St. Louis 651 25-8 NR
12 Southwest Minnesota State 582 23-6 10
13 NW Missouri State 552 24-7 12
14 Western Washington 535 21-6 8
15 Nebraska-Kearney 517 28-6 13
16 West Florida 426 28-6 11
17 Wingate 394 32-3 25
18 Washburn 357 24-8 15
19 Regis 339 22-8 14
20 Cal State San Bernardino 287 20-7 16
21 Colorado Mesa 273 22-7 18
22 Colorado School of Mines 221 22-8 22
23 Cal Poly Pomona 200 24-6 20
24 Chaminade 152 26-8 NR
25 Quincy 135 28-3 21
Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots: Gannon 85; Harding 78; Central Oklahoma 49; Lynn 47; Ferris State 42; Central Washington 40; Lewis 27; Southern New Hampshire 23; Hillsdale 19; Eckerd 8; Dallas Baptist 7; Augustana (SD) 6; Central Missouri 5; Sonoma State 4
4 teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 9 combined points