ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Griffon Volleyball continued its climb in the national rankings Monday, moving up two spots to a program-best No. 8 in the latest AVCA/Taraflex Division II Women's Volleyball Poll.

MoWest received 786 points in the Sept. 14 poll after entering last week ranked No. 10. The Griffons are 10-1 on the season and have now climbed from a tie for No. 16 in the preseason poll to a new program-best No. 8.

Ferris State remained atop the national rankings with a 10-0 record and 44 first-place votes. Wayne State (Neb.) came in at No. 2, followed by Tampa, Fresno Pacific and Concordia-St. Paul to round out the top five.

The Griffons are one of six MIAA programs ranked in the national top 25. Nebraska-Kearney leads the group at No. 7, followed by No. 8 MoWest, No. 13 Washburn, No. 18 Emporia State, No. 22 Central Oklahoma and No. 25 Central Missouri.

MoWest is coming off a 3-0 weekend at the Holiday Inn Express Griffon Volleyball Invitational inside the MWSU Fieldhouse. The Griffons picked up wins over Arkansas Tech, Illinois Springfield and McKendree, winning all nine sets across the three matches.

The 10-1 start matches the 1983 Griffons for one of the best starts in program history through 11 matches.

Up Next

No. 8 Griffon Volleyball opens MIAA play next weekend with two matches at the MWSU Fieldhouse. MoWest hosts No. 22 Central Oklahoma on Friday, Sept. 18 at 6 p.m. before facing Newman on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 2 p.m.