Just one week into the Division III season, defending champion Claremont-Mudd-Scripps was ousted from the top spot in the AVCA poll.
CMS lost to Johnson & Wales in five sets in its season opener at the Pacific Coast Classic on Friday. The Athenas rebounded with three victories, but it was not enough to keep them atop the rankings. CMS fell to No. 4.
With the opening at the top, the Division III coaches merely shifted the next three teams up a spot, making Calvin (3-0) the new No. 1 followed by Colorado College (4-0) and Wittenberg (3-0)
The Calvin Knights went 3-0 at the Bomber Invitational, defeating Stevens and Ithaca in sweeps and Juniata in a five setter, to set up their shot at the No. 1 spot. The top ranking is the first for Calvin since being ranked No. 1 for three straight weeks in 2017 (Preseason, Week 1, Week 2), last on Sept. 12, 2017. The Knights, which were listed third in the final 2017 poll, received 50 of a possible 72 first place votes on Wednesday.
The Tigers posted a 4-0 mark at their home Colorado College Classic, topping North Central College, Nebraska Wesleyan and East Texas Baptist in sweeps and the University of St. Thomas in four sets. The No. 2 ranking is the highest for Colorado College since being ranked No. 1 on Week 10 of the 2017 season (11/7/17). The Tigers finished fifth in the final 2017 poll.
Rounding out the Top 5 is Trinity (Texas), which jumped from No. 11 to No. 5 with a 4-0 home weekend. The Tigers topped then No. 7 Gustavus Adolphus, Aurora (IL), Cabrini (PA) and Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Trinity was last ranked in the top five in 2017, checking in at No. 4 on Week 10 (Nov. 7) before ending the season at No. 11.
| Rank | School (First-Place Votes) | Total Points Adjusted | 2018 Record | Previous Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calvin (50) | 1723 | 3-0 | 2 |
| 2 | Colorado College (8) | 1634 | 4-0 | 3 |
| 3 | Wittenberg (6) | 1604 | 3-0 | 4 |
| 4 | Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (5) | 1440 | 3-1 | 1 |
| 5 | Trinity (Texas) | 1383 | 4-0 | 11 |
| 6 | Johnson & Wales (R.I.) | 1365 | 3-1 | 6 |
| 7 | Ithaca | 1210 | 2-1 | 8 |
| 8 | Emory | 1196 | 2-1 | 5 |
| 9 | Gustavus Adolphus | 1100 | 3-1 | 7 |
| 10 | Illinois Wesleyan | 1001 | 2-1 | 13 |
| 11 | Cal Lutheran (1) | 939 | 4-0 | NR |
| 12 | Pacific Lutheran | 741 | 4-0 | 22 |
| 13 | Carthage | 709 | 2-2 | 14 |
| 14 | Northwestern (Minn.) | 621 | 3-1 | 15 |
| 15 | Juniata | 576 | 1-2 | 17 |
| 16 | Johns Hopkins | 528 | 1-0 | 18 |
| 17 | MIT | 512 | 4-0 | 20 |
| 18 | Ohio Northern | 497 | 3-1 | 19 |
| 19 | Washington-St. Louis | 451 | 1-2 | 10 |
| 20 | Hope | 433 | 3-0 | NR |
| 21 | Southwestern (Texas) | 415 | 1-3 | 9 |
| 22 | Swarthmore | 343 | 4-0 | 21 |
| 23 | Thomas More | 313 | 4-0 | NR |
| 24 | Carnegie-Mellon | 268 | 1-2 | 12 |
| 25 | Berry | 250 | 2-1 | 25 |
Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots: Millikin 211; Texas-Tyler 184; Christopher Newport 158; St. Thomas (Minn.) 98; Wesleyan (Conn.) 88; Chicago 86; Wisconsin-Eau Claire 80; Texas-Dallas 66; Wisconsin-Oshkosh 64; Muhlenberg 60; Eastern 52; Wisconsin-Whitewater 38; Stevenson 34; Tufts 33; Otterbein 32; Bethel (Minn.) 29; Aurora 23; Mary Hardin-Baylor 21; Mary Washington 19; La Verne 17; Stevens 12; Augsburg 8; Wisconsin-La Crosse 8; Chapman 7; Wartburg 7; Cornell (Iowa) 2; Susquehanna 2
11 teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 58 combined points.
Dropped Out: Millikin 16; Christopher Newport 23; Stevenson 24
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