The Butler women's volleyball team is ranked No. 17th in the NJCAA Division II Top 20 national poll, which was released Wednesday.
Butler (6-4 overall, 1-1 conference) was one of four previously unranked teams from the preseason to crack the poll.
Butler's two losses to ranked opponents are No. 1 Cowley and No. 6 Johnson County. Cowley defeated Butler in three sets at the Johnson County Invitational to open the season, while Johnson won in a regular season meeting at Overland Park.
The Grizzlies also have wins against previously ranked teams – Division I No. 19 Casper (WY) and Division II No. 20 MCC-Longview (MO). Both teams bowed of the polls this week.
KJCCC foe Cowley (11-0) retained the No. 1 ranking, as the Tigers received 120 points and all six first-place votes. Rounding out the top five were Parkland (IL), Grand Rapids (MI), Muskegon (MI) and Illinois Central.
The Grizzlies traveled to face Neosho County in conference play Wednesday night and will play in the SE Iowa Invitational this weekend. Butler's next home match is Wednesday, Sept. 18 against Cowley at 6:30 p.m.
| NJCAA Volleyball Division II Top 20 National Poll | September 11, 2013 | |||||
| Rank | College | Record | Points | 1st place votes |
Previous Rank |
| 1. | Cowley | 11-0 | 120 | 6 | 1 |
| 2. | Parkland, Ill. | 14-2 | 114 | 0 | 3 |
| 3. | Grand Rapids, Mich. | 8-2 | 108 | 0 | 2 |
| 4. | Muskegon, Mich. | 10-1 | 102 | 0 | NR |
| 5. | Illinois Central | 9-1 | 96 | 0 | 16 |
| 6. | Johnson County | 10-4 | 90 | 0 | 6 |
| 7. | Central CC-Columbus, Neb. | 11-3 | 84 | 0 | 5 |
| 8. | Kirkwood, Iowa | 10-4 | 78 | 0 | 8 |
| 9. | Lincoln Land, Ill. | 8-1 | 72 | 0 | 12 |
| 10. | Glendale, Ariz. | 3-1 | 66 | 0 | RV |
| 11. | North Platte, Neb. | 8-1 | 60 | 0 | RV |
| 12. | Southeastern, Iowa | 15-2 | 54 | 0 | NR |
| 13. | Des Moines Area, Iowa | 7-2 | 48 | 0 | 11 |
| 14. | Moraine Valley, Ill. | 7-3 | 42 | 0 | 7 |
| 15. | Pasco-Hernando, Fla. | 5-2 | 36 | 0 | NR |
| 16. | Monroe, N.Y. | 7-4 | 30 | 0 | 18 |
| 17. | Butler | 6-4 | 24 | 0 | NR |
| 18. | Catawba Valley, N.C. | 7-0 | 18 | 0 | 19 |
| 19. | Kansas City Kansas | 7-3 | 12 | 0 | 14 |
| 20. | Sinclair, Ohio | 7-0 | 6 | 0 | 13 |
Other schools receiving votes: Bismarck State, N.D. (12-3); South Suburban, Ill. (9-4); Kankakee, Ill. (11-4); Northeastern Oklahoma A&M (5-0); Vincennes, Ind. (10-3).
