BEVERLY, Mass. - October 19, 2021 - The MIT Engineers, currently 20-1 overall and No. 19 in the most recent AVCA DIII poll, have earned the top spot in the fourth NEWVA Coaches Poll of 2021. Tufts, currently 15-4 overall and No. 24 in the AVCA poll, and Bowdoin, 14-4 overall, made the biggest jump this week, moving up five slots each and into the top five.
The fifth NEWVA regional poll will be released on Tuesday, October 26.
2021 Polls To Date
NEWVA REGIONAL POLL NO. 4
1. No. 19 MIT (20-1, 6-0 NEWMAC) | 145 points | 9 first place votes
2. Wesleyan (14-2, 7-2 NESCAC) | 138 points | 1 first place vote
3. No. 24 Tufts (15-4, 6-2 NESCAC) | 122 points
4. Bowdoin (14-4, 7-1 NESCAC) | 106 points
5. Middlebury (15-3, 5-3 NESCAC) | 100 points
6. Endicott (14-7, 5-0 CCC) | 96 points
t-7. Babson (17-5, 7-1 NEWMAC) | 91 points
t-7. Amherst (11-3, 5-3 NESCAC) | 91 points
9. Williams (12-2, 6-2 NESCAC) | 78 points
10. Springfield (17-4, 4-4 NEWMAC) | 66 points
11. Coast Guard (13-5, 6-1 NEWMAC) | 51 points
12. Plymouth St. (19-0, 7-0 LEC) | 30 points
13. Smith (18-6, 4-3 NEWMAC) | 29 points
14. Emerson (12-6, 3-4 NEWMAC) | 26 points
15. Eastern Connecticut (14-5, 4-2 LEC) | 8 points
Also receiving votes: Wheaton, Johnson & Wales
(Order between tied teams based off first place votes. Teams receiving votes must appear on two ballots or more, and must be above .500 overall)
THE TOP FIVE
1. No. 19 (AVCA) MIT (20-1, 7-0 NEWMAC) | 145 points | 9 first place votes
The Engineers, currently 20-1 overall, rebounded after their lone loss of 2021 to go 3-0 on the week, knocking off Clark, Bates and Trinity (Conn.), all by 3-0 sweeps. MIT ihas won 60 of 73 sets played on the season.
2. Wesleyan (14-2, 7-2 NESCAC) | 138 points | 1 first place vote
The Cardinal went 3-0 on the week, picking up two NESCAC wins in Williams (3-0) and Hamilton (3-2) before taking down St. Lawrence 3-0 in non-conference action. Wesleyan has won its last three matches and 11 of the last 12.
3. Tufts (15-1, 5-1 NESCAC) | 122 points | 1 first place vote
Following their 3-2 win over AVCA No. 3 Trinity (Tex.), the Jumbos responded by going 3-0 on the week with wins over three ranked teams in the NEWVA poll with a 3-0 sweep of No. 4 Bowdoin, which was followed by a 3-0 sweep of t-No. 7 Amherst before closing the week with a 3-1 win over No. 5 Middlebury. Tufts is currently on a six-match win streak.
4. Bowdoin (11-2, 5-2 NESCAC) | 106 points
Last week's No. 9 team, Bowdoin jumps five spots to No. 4 after going 2-1 on the week. The Polar Bears fell to No. 3 Tufts 3-0 to start the week but closed 2-0 with 3-0 sweeps of No. 5 Middlebury and t-No. 7 Amherst. Bowdoin has now won 10 of its last 11 matches.
5. Middlebury (15-3, 5-3 NESCAC) | 100 points
Last week's No. 2 team in the NEWVA Poll, Middlebury went 0-2 on the week, falling 3-0 to No. 4 Bowdoin and 3-1 to No. 3 Tufts.
UNDEFEATED TEAMS*
No. 12 Plymouth St. (19-0) vs. Middlebury | Oct. 19 | 6 PM
* Rankings are the most recent NEWVA Regional rankings
CONFERENCE LEADERS IN THE POLL
Commonwealth Coast Conference
No. 6 Endicott
Great Northeast Athletic Conference
Johnson & Wales (RV)
Little East Conference
No. 12 Plymouth St., No. 15 Eastern Conn.
Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference
N/A
North Atlantic Conference
N/A
New England Collegiate Conference
N/A
New England Small College Athletic Conference
No. 2 Wesleyan, No. 3 Tufts, No. 4 Bowdoin, No. 5 Middlebury, t-No. 7 Amherst, No. 9 Williams
New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
No. 1 MIT, No. 7 Babson, No. 10 Springfield, No. 11 Coast Guard, No. 13 Smith, No. 14 Emerson, Wheaton (RV)
*Photo Courtesy of Tufts Athletic Communications