Points/Set Standings (10/21/21)

I don’t expect there to be a lot of changes in these “standings” so I’ll just put this out there for those that have been interested in the numbers.

(This part will be repeated for each article.) Points/Set is a measure of the ability of teams to create their own scoring. This is done through kills, service aces and blocks (team blocks). This along with hitting percentage are two of the most important indicators of a successful team and a team that has a chance at the national championship, in my opinion. Please note that my number will differ slightly than each team’s statistical page because triple blocks, in my calculations, only count as a single team block or one point. They count 1.5 points elsewhere. My numbers are also collected manually so I admit I can mess up at times. I am also at the mercy of published box scores but will try to pull in late box scores whenever they appear. As a general rule of thumb, reaching a Points/Set number of 18+ means you are an elite team. Only a few programs each year do this for a season. 17+ means that you are an outstanding team and likely to make the NCAA Tournament unless you are MIT for some reason. If you want any chance at an NCAA Tournament at-large bid then you must be above 16 Points/Set. This is a mark of a good team. Points/Set is impacted by the level of your opponent. It’s harder to generate your own points against good teams. You would think playing really bad teams would also hamper a team’s number due to unforced errors but I really don’t see this in my research as service aces are the great equalizers in these contests. The other negative drag on this statistic is playing in 5-set matches as the fifth set only goes to 15.

Here is the Region X Points/Set Standings as of 10/18/21:

CMS still spitting out an epic number. Expect that to go down this weekend when they play three ranked teams and two in the Top 10.

Trinity has moved ahead of UC Santa Cruz as UCSC had four tougher opponents this past weekend then usual. UCSC actually fell below CC.

Still, five teams about 17+ but we went from 11 to 10 in the teams 16+ or over (Austin College faltered).

That UT-Dallas/UMHB positioning is interesting. UMHB had gone 5-sets to TLU and 5-set matches hurt your Points/Set numbers. Still, with UMHB getting into another 5-set match with HSU this week, these numbers are indicating that a slam dunk ASC title win for the Cru is not a sure thing. Back to HSU, they are not currently in position to play in the ASC Tournament. They have probably played the best against both UTD and UMHB this season so small crime if they don’t make it in.

Numbers reflect that Pomona-Pitzer and Chapman are the 2^nd and 3^rd best teams in the SCIAC. Standings also reflect that.

Schreiner has been doing okay in these standings but didn’t have a conference win to show for it. They got two this past weekend.

Whittier still sitting pretty low in these standings but they are 4^th in the SCIAC. They have been playing well of late so these standings are probably being weighed down by their earlier performances.

St Thomas sitting at 34^th but have a win over Colorado College. That’s why we play them!

This past week we saw the following teams hit the 20 Points/Set:

• Whittier (20.5) against Chapman

• McMurry (20.25) against Sul Ross State

• Caltech (21.3) against Occidental

• Trinity (22.67) against Centenary

• Southwestern (20.3) against Centenary

• Puget Sound (20.3) against Linfield

We also saw the following matches have the “loser” in the Points/Set statistic win the match:

• LeTourneau (15.5) beat HSU (16.25) in 4-sets

• UMHB (13.8) beat TLU (14.8) in 5-sets

• UMHB (12.67) beat ETBU (14.67) in 3-sets

The 3-set win against a team doing better in Points/Set is rare but that happened in the UMHB/ETBU match. When that happens it’s typically due to a lot of unforced errors by the losing team. Rather large difference, too.