INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The Flagler College volleyball team holds firm at No. 5 in the last of three NCAA Division II Southeast Region rankings, which was released Wednesday afternoon.  

Flagler (19-12 overall, 19-9 in-region record) is one of four Peach Belt Conference teams ranked in the top 10. Augusta University (24-7, 23-7) stayed at No. 6 while Lander University (18-9, 17-9) also remained the same as last week at No. 7. The University of South Carolina Aiken (15-15, 15-15) slipped one spot to No. 10.

The Saints have an opportunity to earn the Peach Belt Conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Division II Tournament this weekend. Flagler Gym hosts the league's postseason tournament starting on Friday and finishing on Sunday at 2 p.m. Flagler plays Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in a semifinal match.

Wingate University (25-1, 25-0) tops the 10-team ranking for the second week in a row. Anderson University (20-6, 20-5) moved up one to No. 2 while Lenoir-Rhyne University (20-6, 20-5) dropped one to No. 3. Carson-Newman University (23-4, 20-4) is entrenched at No. 4. Emmanuel College (19-9, 19-9) returns the ranking at No. 8. Francis Marion University (21-9, 21-8) slipped one spot to No. 9.

The Saints overall strength of schedule is .568, which is the best in the region. Flagler's region RPI is .581, which is sixth. The national tournament selection criteria are based on, in no particular order: in-region winning percentage, D2 winning percentage, D2 strength of schedule, D2 head-to-head competition, and results vs. common D2 opposition.

The NCAA regional rankings are the official rankings used by the committee to select the national tournament field. The field will be comprised of 64 teams, and the Southeast Region will have eight teams playing at the top seed. The 64-team field will be announced on Monday, Nov. 24 at 7:30 p.m. Eastern.

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