Minnesota West volleyball, football teams both at No. 3 nationally

The Minnesota West Lady Jays are once again ranked at No. 3 in the NJCAA Division 3 Volleyball Poll, which was released Monday.

The top eight in the nation remain unchanged from last week. At No. 1 — where it has been all season — is Dallas College Eastfield. The 13-1 Harvester Bees defeated Minnesota West in the 2024 Division 3 Championship Match.

At No. 2 is Sandhills Community College of Pinehurst, N.C., which has a record of 15-0, followed by the 14-1 Lady Jays. Ranked fourth through eighth are, in order, College of DuPage, Dallas College North Lake, Caldwell Community College & Technical Institute, Butler County Community College and Northampton Community College.

The Minnesota West football team, meanwhile, moved up a spot to third in the NJCAA Division 3 rankings despite losing Saturday. No. 2 North Dakota State College of Science beat the host Bluejays 38-20. Ranked at the top is College of DuPage, which defeated Minnesota West in the opening week of the season.

In the loss to the Wildcats Saturday, quarterback Armon Vinson completed 30-of-40 passes for 429 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Marlon Fulker caught eight passes for 102 yards and a score, and Ethan Pridgen and Kaylon Bursey also caught scoring tosses. Stephen Tolliver led the defense with 14 total tackles and a forced fumble, and Jeremiah Robinson and Dorius Bell each had 10 total tackles. The Bluejays were undone by six lost fumbles and an interception.