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Skylights continue to inch up NAIA ratings

The Montana State University-Northern volleyball team is off to its best start in quite some time. And the Skylights sit alone in first place in the Frontier Conference standings through four weeks. But MSU-N is still scratching and clawing to earn national respect.

Despite beating Frontier rivals UM-Western and Westminster College last weekend, the Skylights did not crack the NAIA Top 25 this week. The NAIA Coaches Poll was released on Tuesday afternoon, and though the Skylights received 80 votes, they still sit two spots outside of the Top 25.

Northern is still ranked first among Frontier Conference teams. In the most recent Frontier Power Rankings, the Skylights are first, followed by Rocky Mountain College, which also received 34 votes in the NAIA Coaches Poll. Lewis-Clark State, which lost its first match of the conference season this past weekend at Rocky, sits third, while Montana Tech and Carroll College round out the top five.

The rest of the Frontier rankings have Westminster at No. 6, followed by Great Falls, Western and winless Dickinson State.

Senior setter Joni Nagy was Northern’s nominee for Frontier Conference Player of the Week. That honor went to LCSC’s Niurka Toribio.

The Skylights are on the road this week, with matches at Montana Tech Friday night and Carroll Saturday afternoon.

NAIA Volleyball Coaches Poll

Rnk. Prv. Rec. Pts.

1 1 Concordia (Calif.) (22) 11-0 653

2 2 Texas at Brownsville (1) 12-0 632

3 3 Biola (Calif.) 12-0 611

4 4 Madonna (Mich.) 20-0 590

5 6 MidAmerica Naz. 15-1 546

6 7 Northwestern (Iowa) 21-1 544

7 5 Midland (Neb.) 22-1 533

8 8 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) 18-0 511

9 9 Park (Mo.) 18-2 480

10 10 Westmont (Calif.) 14-2 455

11 11 Eastern Oregon 17-2 448

12 12 Oklahoma Baptist 14-4 426

13 15 Bellevue (Neb.) 20-3 378

14 14 Embry-Riddle (Fla.) 10-5 376

15 13 Missouri Baptist 16-1 373

16 19 Dordt (Iowa) 12-4 315

16 21 The Master's (Calif.) 12-3 315

18 18 Georgetown (Ky.) 15-4 285

19 20 Concordia (Ore.) 14-2 261

20 17 Vanguard (Calif.) 12-4 259

21 22 Wayland Baptist (Texas) 16-3 226

22 16 Columbia (Mo.) 10-4 211

23 25 Grand View (Iowa) 12-8 147

24 23 Hastings (Neb.) 14-6 137

25 RV Cal State San Marcos 18-7 111

Others receiving votes: Viterbo (Wis.) 107;Davenport (Mich.) 95; Trinity Christian (Ill.) 84;Montana State-Northern 60;Indiana Wesleyan 56;Bryan (Tenn.) 42;Spring Hill (Ala.) 38;Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 34;Cornerstone (Mich.) 31;Campbellsville (Ky.) 11;Jamestown (N.D.) 7;Menlo (Calif.) 5;Kansas Wesleyan 5;Evangel (Mo.) 5;Tabor (Kan.) 4.

 

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