Rochester, Mn-
For the first time since early September, the Minnesota College Athletic Conference has two football teams gaining votes in the NJCAA Top 20 weekly poll. Additionally, MCAC volleyball continues to have teams rise in rankings in the final regular-season NJCAA Volleyball Top Ten poll of 2017.
Western Division top-seed Dakota College-Bottineau joins Central Lakes College in the football poll this week, as both programs are found in the 'Receiving Votes' category.
The Jacks have put together a strong season, going 7-1 overall and sweeping the Western Division with a 5-0 mark in 2017. Dakota College will host Ridgewater this Sunday in the first round of the MCAC football playoffs. Eastern Division top seed CLC is a familiar face in the national poll; the Raiders rose as high as the #9 spot in the September 19th poll and have been named in each weekly edition in 2017. Central Lakes will host Vermilion on Sunday in their quarterfinal matchup.
For more information on the Minnesota College Athletic Conference football playoff matchups, please visit this link.
The complete NJCAA Top 20 Football Poll for this week is available here or by clicking the image above.
Ridgewater College leads the pack of four Minnesota College Athletic Conference volleyball programs to be named in the NJCAA Division III Top Ten poll for 10/24/2017; the Warriors are in the #3 spot, with #5 Central Lakes, #6 St. Cloud Technical & Community College and #8 M State all picking up honors. Click this link for the current NJCAA Division III volleyball poll.
This week will prove to be a pivotal one in MCAC Volleyball in both the Northern and Southern Division. All four nationally ranked teams will face Divisional opponents battling to gain a spot in the top four Conference standings; the top four volleyball teams in both divisions will move on the to the NJCAA Region XIII A & B tournaments later this fall. Teams finishing below the top four will conclude their seasons at that time.
In the Northern Division volleyball ranks, Itasca CC, Rainy River and Mesabi Range are all chasing the fourth and final play-off slot. Rainy River has two matches to complete - vs. CLC and Northland - while both Itasca and Mesabi Range will play three times this final regular season week, including a Saturday, 10/28 showdown against each other in Virginia, Minnesota.
The Southern Division is even more congested, with M State, Ridgewater College, SCTCC, Minnesota West and RCTC all vying both for a playoff spot and a favorable seed in the Regional competition. M State will play two road matches this week, traveling to RCTC and Western Technical College to round out their regular season. In addition to the Spartans, RCTC will face Ridgewater and Minnesota West; the Yellowjackets will host all their of their remaining contests. Ridgewater will host ARCC on Wednesday and then travel to Riverland and RCTC to close out the regular season for the Warriors. The Cyclones of St. Cloud Technical & Community College have the lightest slate of the playoff contenders with only a single match remaining, against Minnesota West at home on Friday, October 27th. In a Division that has seen it's share of upsets already this fall, the last week of regular season play looks to be contested down to the final day of competition.
For full MCAC Volleyball Stats, Standings and more, visit: http://www.mcacsports.org/sports/wvball/index
To Follow Minnesota College Athletic Conference sports in 2017, please go to: www.mcacsports.org
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This release sponsored in part by Gopher Sport.
Gopher Sport, based in Owatonna, is an industry leader in Physical Education, sports and fitness equipment. Gopher Sport is dedicated to providing programs and departments with the products to improve fitness, develop skills, create fun and reach a high standard of learning and living. Gopher Sport has diligently served teachers, coaches and athletic directors around the world for over 65 years.
About the Minnesota College Athletic Conference
The Minnesota College Athletic Conference is the organizational body for NJCAA-affiliated two-year technical and community college athletic programs in the Minnesota State system. The mission of the Minnesota College Athletic Conference is to advance intercollegiate athletics by providing an engaging and supportive environment for success of our student athletes and competition among member institutions. The MCAC is committed to the guiding principles of encouraging the development and success of student athletes, promoting the integrity, honesty and loyalty to member schools as well as upholding the sustainability of conference athletic programs.