Volleyball team gets NCAA No. 10 ranking

The St. Thomas volleyball team is ranked 10th in the nation in the NCAA Division III 2011 preseason polls which were released last week. The team was ranked No. 7 in the final 2010 poll.

The Tommies went 30-7 last year and lost to Juniata College, ranked No. 6 this season, in the NCAA quarterfinals.

St. Thomas raises up the regional championship trophy and celebrates earning the first trip to the national tournament in school history. (Jordan Osterman/TommieMedia)

Calvin College of Grand Rapids, Mich. tops the rankings, followed by Emory University in Atlanta. Calvin beat Emory in last season’s NCAA championship match to win its first-ever title.

Two other MIAC teams made the top 20: Concordia (24-7) is ranked No. 14, and St. Olaf (31-5) took the No. 16 slot.

St. Thomas beat top-seeded St. Olaf in the NCAA regional tournament.

The team starts its season on Sept. 2 at the St. Mary’s University Sugar Loaf Invite in Winona. The Tommies take on Gustavus in the season home-opener at 7 p.m. in Schonecker Arena.

Top 10 teams NCAA preseason poll

1. Calvin (32-4)
2. Emory (36-4)
3. Washington-St. Louis (35-4)
4. Christopher Newport (38-3)
5. Wittenberg (32-3)
6. Juniata (34-6)
7. Eastern (30-5)
8. Cal Lutheran (29-4)
9. Wisconsin-Platteville (33-4)
10. St. Thomas (30-7)