Volleyball
Mocs Sixth in Initial South Region Rankings
One of seven SSC schools ranked in poll
Jill Stephens and the Mocs are ranked sixth in the initial South Region rankings.INDIANAPOLIS – The NCAA Division II Women’s Volleyball Committee has released the initial women’s volleyball regional rankings for the 2012 season. The rankings list the Top 10 teams in each of the NCAA’s eight Division II regions.
Florida Southern, who is 17-9 overall and 15-5 in the South Region, is ranked sixth in this year’s initial regional rankings. The Moccasins are one of seven teams from the Sunshine State Conference ranked in the initial South Region poll.
At the end of the season, the top eight teams from each region will receive bids to the 64-team NCAA D-II Volleyball Tournament. Each conference represented in a region has an automatic bid, which goes to their conference champion. The regional rankings will be released every week until mid-November. Only matches played against NCAA D-II institutions are considered by the committee.
FSC is in the South Region and the region is comprised of schools from the SSC, Gulf South (GSC) and the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC), along with several Division II independents.
The Mocs have posted a 6-4 record this season against teams ranked in the initial South Region poll as they are 6-2 against the six SSC schools ranked and are 0-2 against the two GSC schools ranked.
Tampa headlines the first South Region poll as the Spartans are 21-3 in D-II and 16-1 in-region. UT, who is ranked sixth in the latest AVCA D-II Coaches’ Poll, is followed by West Florida (20-7 D-II, 16-3 in-region), who is from the GSC, at No. 2, while D-II independent Palm Beach Atlantic (27-3 D-II, 18-1 in-region) is at No. 3.
Eckerd (17-7 D-II, 14-5 in-region), who hosts the Mocs on Friday in St. Petersburg, is ranked fourth and the Tritons are followed by Christian Brothers (15-8 D-II, 14-6 in-region), who defeated the Mocs in three sets at the Red Elephant Café South Region Crossover on Oct. 20, is ranked fifth.
Rollins (14-12 D-II, 13-8 in-region), who is 0-1 against the Mocs, is ranked seventh and the Tars are followed by Florida Tech (15-8 D-II, 12-8 in-region), who earned a five-set win over the Mocs in Melbourne on Oct. 6, at No. 8, Barry (5-3 D-II, 3-3 in-region), who the Mocs own two wins against this season, is at No. 9 and Lynn (13-9 D-II, 9-8 in-region), who is 0-2 this season against the Mocs, rounds out the rankings at No. 10.
The Mocs will return to action this weekend as they travel to St. Petersburg on Friday for a 7 p.m. match against Eckerd, before returning home to host sixth-ranked Tampa in a 4 p.m. match at Jenkins Field House. The Mocs picked up a four-set home win over Eckerd and suffered a hard-fought three-set loss at Tampa earlier this season.
