The NCAA has compiled the final RPI rankings of the 2016-2017 season. With all but 6 teams having concluded their seasons, this is the final computer-aided rankings of the season before the NCAA Championship tournament in 2 weeks decides the national champion in its truest place – on the court.
The NCAA selection committee opted to give Ohio State the #1 overall seed in the tournament, as compared to Long Beach State – who finished the season ranked #1 in both the final RPI rankings and the final AVCA Coaches’ Poll.
That choice means that Ohio State plays the winner of RPI #4 Hawaii and RPI #8 Penn State; while Long Beach State plays the winner of RPI-#3 BYU and RPI-#15 Barton College.
The selection committee agreed with the RPI ratings in the two teams deserving of at-large bids. BYU and Hawaii rank 3rd and 4th in the final RPI ratings, which makes them the two highest non-conference-champions in the country.
The MPSF winds up with 7 of the top 11 teams in the country. Ohio State at #2, Lewis at #6, and Ball St. at #9 make up the MIVA’s representatives in the top 10. EIVA champions Penn St. finish #8 in the RPI rankings.
MIVA runners-up Grand Canyon finish the season with an RPI rank of #12.
The RPI system, used in basketball, baseball, softball, hockey, soccer, lacrosse, and volleyball, is designed to help committees select teams for the 64-team NCAA tournament as well as the seeding of those teams once they get there.
The index comprises a team’s winning percentage (25%), its opponents’ winning percentage (50%), and the winning percentage of those opponents’ opponents (25%).
As compared to the AVCA polls, the RPI rankings are not voted on, but instead are calculated mathematically. The intent is to create a more objective ranking to juxtapose the subjectivity of the AVCA poll, though by their nature there is still some subjectivity as to which numbers matter more than others in their calculations.
April 22, 2017 NCAA Men’s Volleyball RPI Rankings
| RANK | SCHOOL | CONFERENCE | RECORD | ROAD | NEUTRAL | HOME | NON DIV I | Last Wee’sk Ranking |
| 1 | Long Beach St. | Mountain Pacific | 27-3 | 7-3 | 4-0 | 16-0 | 0-0 | 3 |
| 2 | Ohio St. | MIVA | 30-2 | 11-1 | 0-0 | 19-1 | 0-0 | 2 |
| 3 | BYU | Mountain Pacific | 24-4 | 10-1 | 0-1 | 14-2 | 0-0 | 1 |
| 4 | Hawaii | Mountain Pacific | 26-5 | 7-5 | 1-0 | 16-0 | 2-0 | 4 |
| 5 | UC Irvine | Mountain Pacific | 20-7 | 10-4 | 1-0 | 9-3 | 0-0 | 5 |
| 6 | Lewis | MIVA | 23-7 | 10-4 | 0-0 | 13-3 | 0-0 | 6 |
| 7 | UCLA | Mountain Pacific | 17-10 | 6-6 | 1-0 | 10-4 | 0-0 | 7 |
| 8 | Penn St. | EIVA | 21-10 | 6-6 | 1-1 | 14-3 | 0-0 | 8 |
| 9 | Ball St. | MIVA | 19-10 | 5-6 | 3-1 | 11-3 | 0-0 | 9 |
| 10 | Stanford | Mountain Pacific | 13-13 | 4-7 | 4-0 | 5-6 | 0-0 | 10 |
| 11 | Southern California | Mountain Pacific | 14-14 | 4-9 | 0-1 | 10-4 | 0-0 | 11 |
| 12 | Grand Canyon | MIVA | 19-11 | 9-7 | 0-0 | 8-4 | 2-0 | 14 |
| 13 | Loyola Chicago | MIVA | 16-12 | 4-7 | 1-0 | 11-5 | 0-0 | 12 |
| 14 | Pepperdine | Mountain Pacific | 10-12 | 5-7 | 0-0 | 5-5 | 0-0 | 13 |
| 15 | Barton | Conference Carolinas | 23-5 | 8-4 | 0-1 | 14-0 | 1-0 | 15 |
| 16 | Saint Francis (PA) | EIVA | 16-15 | 6-8 | 3-2 | 7-5 | 0-0 | 16 |
| 17 | King (TN) | Conference Carolinas | 28-4 | 10-2 | 0-1 | 14-1 | 4-0 | 17 |
| 18 | George Mason | EIVA | 13-14 | 4-10 | 1-0 | 8-4 | 0-0 | 18 |
| 19 | Mount Olive | Conference Carolinas | 18-10 | 8-6 | 1-2 | 8-2 | 1-0 | 23 |
| 20 | UC Santa Barbara | Mountain Pacific | 10-16 | 1-9 | 1-0 | 8-7 | 0-0 | 19 |
| 21 | CSUN | Mountain Pacific | 12-15 | 2-7 | 3-2 | 4-6 | 3-0 | 20 |
| 22 | Princeton | EIVA | 12-14 | 3-11 | 1-1 | 8-2 | 0-0 | 21 |
| 23 | Sacred Heart | EIVA | 15-11 | 3-7 | 0-1 | 12-3 | 0-0 | 22 |
| 24 | McKendree | MIVA | 11-19 | 5-12 | 1-2 | 5-5 | 0-0 | 24 |
| 25 | Harvard | EIVA | 10-13 | 4-8 | 0-0 | 6-5 | 0-0 | 25 |
| 26 | NJIT | EIVA | 13-13 | 5-9 | 0-0 | 5-3 | 3-1 | 26 |
| 27 | UC San Diego | Mountain Pacific | 7-20 | 2-11 | 0-1 | 4-8 | 1-0 | 27 |
| 28 | Limestone | Conference Carolinas | 13-11 | 4-7 | 0-0 | 9-3 | 0-1 | 29 |
| 29 | Concordia (CA) | Independent | 18-12 | 2-7 | 2-1 | 2-4 | 12-0 | 28 |
| 30 | Lindenwood (MO) | MIVA | 5-19 | 2-11 | 0-2 | 3-5 | 0-1 | 30 |
| 31 | California Baptist | Mountain Pacific | 8-21 | 2-12 | 1-0 | 5-9 | 0-0 | 31 |
| 32 | Quincy | MIVA | 7-22 | 2-8 | 1-3 | 2-8 | 2-3 | 32 |
| 33 | Fort Wayne | MIVA | 5-23 | 2-12 | 0-2 | 3-8 | 0-1 | 33 |
| 34 | Coker | Independent | 14-10 | 5-6 | 0-0 | 6-4 | 3-0 | 34 |
| 35 | Belmont Abbey | Conference Carolinas | 9-17 | 3-8 | 0-1 | 6-8 | 0-0 | 35 |
| 36 | North Greenville | Conference Carolinas | 8-19 | 3-12 | 0-0 | 5-7 | 0-0 | 37 |
| 37 | Charleston (WV) | EIVA | 12-17 | 5-8 | 0-0 | 1-9 | 6-0 | 36 |
| 38 | Lees-McRae | Conference Carolinas | 10-17 | 4-9 | 0-2 | 6-6 | 0-0 | 38 |
| 39 | Alderson Broaddus | Independent | 6-16 | 3-8 | 1-0 | 1-6 | 1-2 | 39 |
| 40 | Erskine | Conference Carolinas | 4-21 | 1-11 | 0-3 | 3-7 | 0-0 | 40 |
| 41 | Emmanuel (GA) | Conference Carolinas | 7-19 | 2-11 | 0-0 | 4-7 | 1-1 | 41 |
| 42 | Lincoln Memorial | Independent | 10-17 | 0-8 | 0-1 | 4-5 | 6-3 | 42 |
| 43 | Pfeiffer | Conference Carolinas | 0-19 | 0-9 | 0-0 | 0-9 | 0-1 | 43 |
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