The Ashland University volleyball team is ranked No. 5 in the first edition of the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional rankings issued on Wednesday (Nov. 6) afternoon.
After the conference tournaments, the top eight teams in the region will earn bids to the NCAA Tournament with automatic bids going to the tournament champions of the GLIAC, Great Lakes Valley and Great Midwest Athletic Conferences. The full NCAA Tournament field will be announced on Nov. 25.
The Eagles (22-5) are looking for their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance under head coach Kevin Foeman.
Ashland had its seven-match winning streak stopped on Tuesday night with a four-set defeat at Tiffin, but that result has not been factored into the rankings. Rankings will be issued next Wednesday (Nov. 13) and Nov. 20.
Ashland is currently holding down the top spot in the GLIAC South standings and, with one more win, will clinch hosting duties for the GLIAC Tournament quarterfinal. The final four of that tournament will be hosted by the top seed.
The Eagles are a half-game behind Michigan Tech for that spot, though the Huskies hold the tiebreaker.
The Eagles will travel to Wayne State on Saturday (Nov. 9) for a 5 p.m. match. After that, they will be home against Grand Valley State and Davenport to close the regular season. The GLIAC Tournament quarterfinal will be played on Nov. 20.
The full NCAA Division II Midwest Region rankings follow.
| School | In-Region Record | D-II Record |
| 1. Lewis | 13-3 | 22-4 |
| 2. Hillsdale | 14-3 | 19-3 |
| 3. Missouri-St. Louis | 22-3 | 23-3 |
| 4. Michigan Tech | 18-3 | 19-4 |
| 5. Ashland | 22-4 | 22-4 |
| 6. Ferris State | 15-4 | 19-5 |
| 7. UIndy | 15-6 | 17-7 |
| 8. Saginaw Valley | 15-6 | 17-7 |
| 9. Rockhurst | 18-5 | 21-6 |
| 10. Bellarmine | 16-7 | 17-9 |
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