1/16/25
We asked the algorithm to do a deeper dive and make observations on conference strength of D3 Men’s Volleyball across the nation. Here are some of the observations:
Division III Men’s Volleyball Conference Analysis
Conference Power Rankings (Based on Average Team Rating)
1. UVC (United Volleyball Conference)
– Average Rating: ~21.69
– Top Team: NYU (24.40)
– Notable Teams: Vassar (23.40), St. John Fisher (23.20)
– Consistently strong across all members
– 6 teams in top 50
2. CVC (Continental Volleyball Conference)
– Average Rating: ~20.52
– Top Team: Southern Virginia (26.45, #1 overall)
– Strong depth with Juniata (23.65)
– Some disparity between top and bottom teams
3. CCIW (College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin)
– Average Rating: ~19.51
– Top Team: Carthage (23.10)
– Strong middle tier with North Central (22.10)
– Notable depth with 5 teams above 17.00
4. MAC (Middle Atlantic Conference)
– Average Rating: ~17.93
– Top Team: Stevens (24.63)
– Significant drop-off after top teams
– Wide rating spread (24.63 to 11.67)
5. NACC (Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference)
– Average Rating: ~17.85
– Top Team: Dominican (23.15)
– Good depth in middle tier
– Large number of teams (10+)
6. ODAC (Old Dominion Athletic Conference)
– Average Rating: ~16.00
– Top Team: Randolph-Macon (20.88)
– Significant variation in team quality
– Struggling with consistency across programs
7. NAC (New England Alliance Conference)
– Average Rating: ~16.16
– Top Team: Wentworth (23.19, #8 overall)
– Notable Teams: Lasell (22.11)
– Significant drop-off after top teams
– Large spread between top and bottom (23.19 to 10.78)
– Multiple teams below 15.00 rating
8. MCVL (Midwest Collegiate Volleyball League)
– Average Rating: ~15.94
– Top Team: Wittenberg (21.80)
– Notable inconsistency across teams
– Several programs below 15.00 rating
9. NEVC (New England Volleyball Conference)
– Average Rating: ~14.39
– Top Team: Nichols (22.88, #12 overall)
– Struggling with depth
– Most teams rated below 15.00
– Bottom teams: NVU Johnson (9.65)
– Conference shows potential but needs development
10 PAC (Presidents’ Athletic Conference)
– Average Rating: ~13.89
– Top Team: Saint Vincent (17.69)
– Thiel (18.03) showing competitive potential
– Several teams below 10.00 rating
– Needs significant development at bottom tier
– Lacking truly elite programs
11. Skyline Conference
– Average Rating: ~13.74
– Top Team: St. Joseph’s Long Island (20.55)
– NJCU showing promise (17.52)
– Significant struggles at bottom
– Multiple teams below 11.00 rating
– Large disparity between top and bottom programs
12. CUNY Athletic Conference
– Average Rating: ~13.00
– Top Team: Baruch (20.69)
– Notable gap after top team
– Hunter (17.95) provides some middle-tier strength
– Several programs below 12.00 rating
– Significant work needed for conference parity
13. UEast (United East Conference)
– Average Rating: ~12.70
– Top Team: Lancaster Bible (18.69)
– Bryn Athyn (16.21) showing some promise
– Multiple teams below 11.00 rating
– Struggling with overall conference strength
– Wide disparity between top and bottom programs
14. AMCC (Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference)
– Average Rating: ~12.55
– Top Team: Buffalo State (20.24)
– Penn State Altoona (17.23) providing some depth
– Majority of teams below 15.00 rating
– Bottom teams struggling significantly (Carlow at 6.87)
– Conference needs development at lower end
15. Independent Programs Analysis
– Wide range of quality (23.51 to 4.10)
– Top Programs:
* Springfield (23.51)
* Cal Lutheran (23.01)
* UC Santa Cruz (22.14)
– Bottom Programs:
* Penn State Schuylkill (4.10)
* Simpson (5.56)
* Maranatha Baptist (6.74)
– Shows potential for conference realignment opportunities
Key Observations
Conference Depth
– UVC shows strongest depth with minimal weak programs
– CVC has highest individual team rating but more variance
– NACC has largest number of teams but varying quality
Rating Distribution
– Top-tier conferences (UVC, CVC) have multiple teams above 22.00
– Middle-tier conferences (CCIW, MAC) show strong top teams but less depth
– Lower-tier conferences struggle with consistency and overall ratings
Conference Competitiveness
– Largest internal rating spreads:
* MAC (12.96 point spread)
* NACC (11.92 point spread)
– Most consistent conferences:
* UVC (5.36 point spread)
* CCIW (8.10 point spread)
Emerging Trends
– Traditional power conferences maintaining strength
– Growing parity in middle tier conferences
– Clear separation between top 3 and bottom 4 conferences
– Independent teams showing strong individual performances but no conference context
Key Comparative Insights
Conference Stability
1. Most stable (smallest rating spread):
-UVC (5.36 point spread)
-CCIW (8.10 point spread)
– PAC (9.41 point spread)
– NEVC (13.23 point spread)
2. Most volatile (largest rating spread):
– Independent programs (19.41 point spread)
Development Needs
– AMCC and UEast show most urgent need for program development
– Skyline Conference could benefit from stronger middle-tier programs
– CUNY needs more competitive depth beyond top programs
Potential for Growth
– NAC shows promise with strong top teams
– NEVC has foundation for improvement with Nichols
– Independent programs could form basis for new conference alignments
