1. Lewis
Record: 15-4
Conference record: 4-1
National rank: 6
Choosing the best team in a conference is usually the easiest pick to make. The MIVA is no different. Lewis
separated itself at the beginning of the season when it beat then-No. 6 Penn State 3-1. Wins over Ball State,
Loyola, Ohio State, Quincy and now Long Beach State last Saturday only certified its Midwest dominance. The
Flyers are a class above the rest of the MIVA when it comes to hitting and blocking, and with seven of its next
10 matches at home, they are a strong favorite for the first seed in the MIVA Tournament.
2. Ohio State
Record: 13-6
Conference record: 3-1
National rank: 10
Following its 2011 National Championship campaign, Ohio State hasn't stumbled in replacing a several
key players in its starting lineup. It may not be the powerhouse MIVA team it had been since 2007, but this
relatively young group is still getting the job done. A 3-1 loss to Lewis is its only blemish so far in MIVA play,
and superstar outside attacker Shawn Sangrey is arguably having the best season of his career. Ohio State's
postseason experience gives them as good a chance as Lewis at capturing the MIVA Tournament title at the end
of April.
3. Loyola
Record: 10-10
Conference record: 3-3
National rank: Unranked, six votes in latest poll
Conference coaches may have voted Loyola as the preseason favorite to win the MIVA, but they have largely
failed to live up to those expectations so far this season. Multiple losses to ranked West Coast teams as well as Lewis, IPFW and Ohio State have branded Loyola as an average team. Beating weaker teams seems to come as easy to the Ramblers as losing to better ones. Granted, Loyola has faced the most difficult schedule in the conference, which can pass as a legitimate reason for its struggles and is enough to earn the third spot in these power rankings. The upcoming weeks of MIVA play will prove what kind of team Loyola really is.
4. IPFW
Record: 10-8
Conference record: 2-2
National rank: Unranked, five votes in latest poll
No MIVA team is harder to rank than the IPFW Mastadons. Wins over Lewis and Loyola in February make
them look like a top-3 contender in the conference, but bad losses to Ball State and Division III team Carthage
are head-scratchers. IPFW is 5-3 at home and 5-4 on the road, with another loss at a neutral site, so there isn't
much of a trend when it comes to the venue. Like Loyola, the next month of MIVA play will prove where
exactly IPFW ranks in the conference.
5. Ball State
Record: 11-7
Conference record: 3-4
National rank: Unranked
2012 has come through as the rebuilding year Ball State was expected to have. The team is still trying to
establish an efficient offense and become more consistent in each match. First-year starting middle attackers
Kevin Owens and Matt Leske have done well in establishing themselves as building blocks for the future,
but other players need to step up in order for Ball State to avoid a low seeding in the MIVA Tournament. A
tough schedule in the next two months of MIVA play offers the Cardinals no favors, so they'll have to improve
quickly for that to happen.
6. Grand Canyon
Record: 12-9
Conference record: 3-1
National rank: Unranked
Its tough to rank Grand Canyon behind Ball State when it just came within a few points of beating the latter
twice in two days this past weekend. However, with a 10-1 home record and a 2-8 away record, its clear Grand
Canyon thrives on its opponents traveling to Arizona. The Antelopes haven't been tested very much this season
outside of early matches against West Coast teams, so two road matches against IPFW this weekend should
clear up any concerns about their talent. Winning one of the two could push them past the Cardinals.
7. Quincy
Record: 15-8
Conference record: 0-6
National rank: Unranked
Don't let the overall record fool you. While Quincy may be 15-2 outside of the MIVA, its become a
punching bag to its opponents inside the conference this season. It ranks worst in conference play in
both hitting and blocking, and is second to last in digging. A quick turnaround doesn't look promising at
this point for a team that made a stunning upset over Ball State last year in the quarterfinals of the MIVA
Tournament. The Hawks will need to show vast improvement in order to upset a team in the tournament
once again
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