Men's Volleyball | 12/10/2024 11:59:14 AM
MIDDLETOWN, Ohio - The Tigers of Georgetown College are the preseason favorites for the first River States Conference men's volleyball championship, as the Tigers finished first in the 2025 RSC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The poll, announced Tuesday by the River States Conference office, saw each of the conference's nine head coaches rank the other member schools in order of predicted finish.
The River States Conference will sponsor men's volleyball for the first time this spring. The league will consist of six RSC members - Brescia, IU East, Midway, Oakland City, Rio Grande, and St. Mary-of-the-Woods - as well as three affiliate members - Campbellsville University, Cumberland University, and Georgetown College.
Georgetown was close to a unanimous pick for the top spot in the league, earning seven of eight possible first place votes. The Tigers enter the season as the defending national champions, winning the NAIA Men's Volleyball Championship last spring in Cedar Rapids. Georgetown, who also won the Mid-South Conference title last season, has appeared in four of the first five NAIA Men's Volleyball Championships.
The remaining first place votes went to another Tigers in Campbellsville. Campbellsville earned a regular season victory over Georgetown last season, going 9-1 in the Mid-South Conference before falling to the orange and black Tigers in the conference championship match. The third associate member, Cumberland, checks in at third place in the poll.
Rio Grande was picked fourth in the inaugural RSC poll, with Oakland City checking in exactly in the middle at fifth. In the bottom half of the poll, the coaches placed St. Mary-of-the-Woods sixth, Brescia seventh, IU East eighth, and Midway ninth.
River States Conference play is scheduled to begin with three matches, hosted by Georgetown, IU East and Brescia, on Friday, February 21. Round robin play will continue into April, with the 2025 River States Conference Tournament scheduled for April 15, 18, and 19. The conference tournament will be a six-team affair, with quarterfinal matches hosted by the third and fourth seeds and the semifinals and finals played on the home floor of the top seed.
2025 RSC PRESEASON MEN's VOLLEYBALL COACHES POLL
1. Georgetown (63 points, 7 first place votes)
2. Campbellsville (57 points, 2 first place vote)
3. Cumberland (45 points)
4. Rio Grande (40 points)
5. Oakland City (35 points)
6. St. Mary-of-the-Woods (31 points)
7. Brescia (24 points)
8. IU East (20 points)
9. Midway (9 points)