INDIANAPOLIS – The Southwest Minnesota State University volleyball team is ranked No. 7 in the third NCAA Division II Central Region rankings released Wednesday afternoon by the NCAA national committee.
 
The Mustangs are 23-5 overall and have compiled an in-region record of 20-5. Only matches versus Division II opponents (through Nov. 17) are counted for the NCAA region rankings.
 
SMSU's loss to Northern State on Tuesday night in the quarterfinals of the NSIC Tournament is not factored in this week's region rankings.
 
SMSU is one of five NSIC schools to appear in the region rankings along with St. Cloud State (No. 1), Concordia-St. Paul (No. 3), Wayne State (No. 8) and Northern State (No. 9).
 
The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) also has five teams listed with Nebraska-Kearney (No. 2), Missouri Western (No. 4), Central Oklahoma (No. 5), Washburn (No. 6) and Emporia State (No. 10). The third conference in the region, the Great American Conference (GAC), does not have a team ranked.  
 
The entire 64-team NCAA Tournament will be announced on Monday at 6:30 p.m. (CST) at NCAA.com.
 
The top eight teams in the region will advance to the NCAA Central Region Tournament on Dec. 5-7 or Dec. 6-8. Automatic bids are granted to the winners of the GAC, MIAA, and NSIC postseason tournaments, with the remaining five spots awarded on an at-large basis.
 
The NCAA National Championships will take place on Dec. 12-14, at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. 

Records as of Nov. 17

CENTRAL	REGION RANKINGS	In-Region	Overall
1	St. Cloud State	20-1	24-2
2	Nebraska-Kearney	25-1	28-1
3	Concordia-St.Paul	17-2	21-5
4	Missouri Western	19-6	22-6
5	Central Oklahoma	23-2	27-2
6	Washburn	19-5	20-6
7	Southwest Minnesota State	20-4	23-4
8	Wayne State (Nebraska)	16-6	22-6
9	Northern State	16-6	20-6
10	Emporia State	17-8	17-9