Top 25 – Points/Set

I know what you’re thinking. I’m fixating on Points/Set (P/S) too much. Or maybe I’m tired of researching conferences. Well, jokes on you because both reasons are right. I’ve got this neat spreadsheet of all of the DIII schools with their Points/Set numbers for the last 5-years and a mind that wonders what else it can show me. I started thinking about what it would say were the best teams overall for the last 5-years. Basically, take the 5-year average and see who are the Top 25 based on this one statistic. Will it match our traditional powerhouse teams? Will it favor a particular region? Are there surprise teams that will show up? In my last article I was a little surprised that UT-Dallas had such good Points/Set numbers so I know they are probably there.

Starting from the back, let’s start with the also rans. Teams like Chicago, Cal Lutheran, Springfield, Trinity, La Verne, DePauw, Augsburg, Babson, Muskingum, Carnegie Mellon, Hendrix, Illinois Wesleyan, Aurora, St. Thomas (MN) and Tufts will not make the list. The bottom line on these teams is that they simply had one or two off years, which took them out of contention. A team like Trinity finished 35^th but it was simply the result of their one rebuild year from 2015. Factor in a normal year for them and they are probably looking at the Top 10.

Sitting just outside the Top 25 are Bethel (averaged 16.47 P/S), Southwestern (16.45) and UW-Eau Claire (16.44). Each of these teams had 5-years of averaging over 15.8 P/S but it wasn’t enough to crack the Top 25. I think a team like Bethel, which is well respected within their region is a team that maybe deserves more notice from the nation for their consistency.

On to our list, starting with 25, and we find UW-Whitewater (16.49). What’s interesting here is that their worst season was last year, but they still made the NCAA Tournament as an at-large team. They definitely struggled down the stretch but four strong seasons put them at 25. Otterbein is a surprise team for me at 24 because they really didn’t have strong seasons in 2015 and 2016. Three really strong seasons, including two where they reached 17+ P/S, were enough to compensate. Stevenson (16.52) comes in at 23 and were helped by their 17.20 P/S from last season. A very consistent team from a P/S perspective. Ithaca (16.54) at 22 will be our only New York Region team in the list. Five seasons of 16+ numbers get them to this position but it’s interesting to note that they never reached 17 P/S in those 5-years. The Bombers typically play a tough schedule but I have to wonder if their New York Region opponents bring them down a bit. Baldwin-Wallace (16.56) is probably a bit of surprise here at 21 but they have had 5-years of 16+ seasons including a 17.23 P/S 2018 season. So, a couple of traditional powers in this grouping but also a couple of surprises.

Breaking in at 20 is Berry (16.57). Another team with 5 strong seasons all over 16 P/S. I think the Vikings have really put themselves on the map as far as traditional powers in DIII volleyball. Maybe surprising that they are only at 19 and not higher, we find Washington-St. Louis (16.61). This team had an 18.02 P/S season in 2015 but an off 2017 season drags them down a bit. I’ve complained a bit about the lack of respect for the ASC as they have two outstanding teams in UT-Dallas and Mary Hardin-Baylor and we find the latter here at 18. UMHB (16.61) had a down 2016 season but two 17+ P/S seasons pushes them to this spot. This team simply can’t buy an at-large bid but this statistic seems to indicate that we’re leaving home one of the best teams in the nation consistently come tournament time. Traditional power Carthage (16.64) slots into 17. Two 17+ P/S seasons overcome a down 2016 season where they just missed out on getting to 16 P/S. Anyone else surprised that Gustavus Adolphus comes in at 16? They’ve had some really good years but I never would have guessed they’ve reached the 16 P/S mark the last 5-years, which also includes a 17.06 P/S 2018 season. This grouping had two traditional powers in Washington University and Carthage with three teams that should probably be included in future discussions.

Our first New England Region comes in at 15 with Bowdoin (16.65). Four seasons reaching the 16 P/S mark and one where they achieved the 17 P/S mark makes this pretty clear-cut. Christopher Newport (16.70) has two 17 P/S seasons bookending three 16 P/S years and you can tell that only the best most consistent teams are going to finish higher in this list. Wittenberg (16.75) had a down season in 2019 but it wasn’t enough to keep them out of this list as they come in at number 13. Remember that this program finished second twice in the Tournament and still couldn’t break into the Top 10. I think we sleep too much on Ohio Northern (16.84) nationally as they come in at 12. Just a really consistent program that includes three 17+ P/S seasons in the last 5-years. Just missing the Top 10 is Hope (16.85). Another consistent power program that honestly probably misses out because they have to play Calvin 3 or 4 times a year. Maybe we don’t think of Bowdoin this high or in the same context of a Hope or Wittenberg but here there are. All strong programs that just miss out on the Top 10.

On the back of their 2019 national title, we have Johns Hopkins (16.86) coming in at number 10. Their 18.23 P/S 2019 season compensated a bit for their 15.57 P/S 2015 season. Who had MIT (17.02) in the Top 10? Quality program but I probably think of Bowdoin and Babson before MIT. Three 17+ P/S seasons get them slotted into the number 9 spot. Every team at this point forward averaged more than 17 P/S over 5-seasons. Just crazy good. Absolutely not surprising anyone is Juniata (17.06) coming in at 8. Slightly down season in 2017 doesn’t hurt them as they still make the Top 10. Johnson & Wales (17.13) always seems to be the top hitting team in the nation and that helps get them to number 7. They are the highest team in this list to have a non 16 P/S season when they got 14.90 P/S in 2015. The other four seasons? Three hitting the 17 P/S mark and the overall P/S record (18.47 in 2016). Maybe the biggest surprise to me comes in at 6 in Northwestern-St. Paul (17.19). Always a strong team but does anyone think of them as a Top 10 traditional power? Maybe we need to. Outside of Juniata and maybe JWU, I’m at least a little surprised over the other three teams.

Now the Top 5 and these have to be the elite of the elite, right? Emory (17.33) at 5 shouldn’t shock anyone. Traditional power coming in strong. Two 16.94 P/S seasons are their worst of their five. Yikes! Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (17.35) is another power team and they come in at 4. Interesting tidbit. Their 2017 championship was their 3^rd best year out of the 5. Colorado College (17.46) is always strong but has struggled to get out of the West Regional (or whatever regional the west now gets sent to) but they are our number 3 team on this list. In these last 5-years they have never averaged less than 17 P/S in a season. I warned you about UT-Dallas (17.58) but it’s still shocking to see them at 2, right? Two 18+ P/S seasons get them here. Our top team isn’t going to surprise as Calvin (17.81) finishes number 1. Just like Colorado College, they also have never dropped below 17 P/S in these last 5-years and two 18+ P/S seasons lock down the top spot. Quality Top 5 but no one would have UT-Dallas in this group. Interesting to point out that three West Region teams make it to the Top 5 based on Points/Set.

Overall, each region is represented in this Top 25. I really don’t see a favoritism in these numbers based on region. I am slightly surprised that the West Region has three in the Top 5 but more surprised one is UT-Dallas. Four of the last five champions made the Top 25 with only Cal Lutheran missing out. They just simply have dropped a bit in the last 3-years in this statistic. Still, four out of the five last champions make the list and three make the Top 5. I think we can agree that putting the ball down and not relying on your opponent’s mistakes is important. Alright, I’ll get to my conference research but frankly it’s not as fun as this stuff. For those wanting a compete list of the Top 25, I’ll paste it in below.