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CINDY ELLEN RUSSELL / CRUSSELL@STARADVERTISER.COM
Hawaii’s Bailey Choy (7) and Skyler Williams (8) exchanged high-fives after teammate Norene Iosia made a service ace during Friday’s match. The Hawaii women’s volleyball team improved six spots to 11 in today’s Ratings Percentage Index, the computer-generated system that ranks strength of schedule.
Hawaii opened the week with a new ranking and new rating.
In today’s American Volleyball Coaches Association Top 25, the Rainbow Wahine moved up two spots to No. 19. Hawaii also moved six places to 11 in the Ratings Percentage Index, a computer-generated system that rates strength of schedule.
The Wahine (20-3, 10-2 Big West) are in first place in the conference standings, a half-game ahead of the two teams they beat last week: UC Santa Barbara and Cal Poly. Should Hawaii win its final four matches, the Wahine would earn at least a share of the conference title but would receive the league’s automatic berth in the NCAA tournament based on the tie-breaking formula.
The RPI is used by the NCAA to seed the postseason tournament and award hosting duties. Teams rated in the top 16 have traditionally been the host sites for the first and second rounds.
Hawaii has not hosted the opening rounds since 2013. The Wahine close out the regular season with four teams with RPIs currently between 137 and 267: traveling to UC Davis (137) on Friday and UC Riverside (267) on Sunday, then hosting Cal State Northridge (180) on Nov. 21 and Long Beach State (167) on Nov. 22.
In today’s poll, the top six remained the same led by No. 1 Texas (16-2, 47 first-place votes. Pitt (23-1, 14 votes) was at No. 2 followed by Baylor (19-1, 1 vote), Wisconsin (16-4, 1 votes), Stanford (16-4, 1 vote) and Minnesota (17-2).
Hawaii is the only Big West team ranked. UCSB received 10 points, putting the Gauchos outside the Top 25 at 31. Of the ranked teams, the Wahine lost to Baylor but have wins over No. 14 Washington and No. 23 UCLA, as well as win over two other teams receiving votes: San Diego (26th) and Missouri (30th).
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