LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Southwest Minnesota State University volleyball team was ranked ninth in this week’s edition of the American Volleyball Coaches’ Association (AVCA) Top 25 Coaches’ Poll. This is the fourth consecutive week that SMSU has been ranked ninth in the top 25. SMSU, 18-6 overall, 12-3 in the NSIC, earned 542 points in the coaches’ poll.

The NSIC has five teams ranked in the top 25, four of them find themselves in the top 10 this week.

Minnesota Duluth earned 28 first-place votes and 795 points to earn the No. 1 ranking this week, while Concordia-St. Paul came in at fourth for the second straight week. Wayne State follows SMSU at 10th and Minnesota State dropped from No. 19 to No. 20.

Southwest Minnesota State has now been ranked in the AVCA Top 25 for 77 consecutive weeks, dating back to Sept. 5, 2006.

SMSU continues NSIC action on Tuesday, Nov. 1, hosting MSU Moorhead at 7 p.m. at the PE Gym in Marshall.