For the first time in the program’s history, the Augusta University volleyball program received a national ranking in the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) Top 25, checking in at No. 25 on Monday afternoon.
“We are very pleased with the performance of the Jaguars this past weekend against some very good competition,” said head coach Sharon Quarles in a news release from Augusta University. “It is a huge step forward for us to respond as we did early in the season with six new players on the roster. We are excited to continue to work hard on the practice court to get ready for what’s to come next. Top 25 ranking – that is a first. Not only for the program, but for myself as well as a head coach. Pretty cool stuff.”
The Jaguars cracked the national poll for the first time ever after a strong showing during the first weekend of play at the Florida Southern Classic. Augusta defeated Palm Beach Atlantic 3-1 in its season opener before taking down No. 14 Lewis in a five-set battle.
AU closed the weekend with a 3-1 victory over tournament host Florida Southern. The team currently leads the nation in blocks per set (3.85). Jada Suguturaga and Madelyn Eden are ranked second and third in the country for blocks per set, registering 2.08 and 1.77, respectively, the release continued.
“We’re also thrilled about our blocking stats. We are currently No. 1 in the country for team blocks. Jada and Madelyn’s work in the middle this weekend was unmatched and they are currently number 2 and 3 in the nation in blocks per set. Well deserved. The great wall of Augusta came out and prevailed this past weekend. It was the game changer for us no doubt,” Quarles said.
The Jaguars received 90 votes from the committee of head coaches. The full poll can be found below.
AVCA/TARAFLEX Division II Coaches Top 25 Poll – Week 1 Poll: Sept. 9, 2024
Rank School (First-Place Votes) Points Record Previous Rank
1 Tampa (35) 1146 3-0 2
2 Wayne State (Neb.) (6) 1109 4-0 4
3 MSU Denver 1015 4-0 7
4 Missouri-St. Louis 957 4-0 6
5 Concordia-St. Paul (1) 841 3-1 5
6 Nebraska-Kearney 824 4-0 9
7 Southwest Minnesota State 807 4-0 11
7 St. Cloud State 807 3-1 10
9 West Texas A&M 771 3-1 3
10 Cal Poly Pomona (5) 751 4-0 21
11 Cal State Los Angeles 698 2-2 1
12 Ferris State 668 3-0 18
13 Chaminade 650 4-2 12
14 Minnesota Duluth 565 4-0 16
15 Colorado Mesa 493 3-1 17
16 Cal State San Bernardino 474 2-2 8
17 Central Missouri 412 2-1 15
18 Central Oklahoma 357 4-0 23
19 Grand Valley State 296 4-0 24
20 Michigan Tech 270 4-0 NR
21 West Florida 252 3-1 20
22 Lynn 195 4-0 25
23 Lewis 153 2-2 14
24 Regis 121 1-3 13
25 Augusta 90 3-0 NR
Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots: Nova Southeastern 75; Washburn 59; Quincy 57; Barry 47; Angelo State 42; Point Loma 42; Northern State 32; Central Washington 31; Wingate 30; Seattle Pacific 29; Hillsdale 21; Dallas Baptist 20; Florida Southern 6; Missouri Western 6; San Francisco State 3.
Augusta returns to action on Sept. 13 at the Pacer Invitational in Aiken, S.C., where they will face North Greenville University at 3 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at augustajags.com.
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