Polls, Polls, Polls

There are a number of big games today in the Conference involving undefeated CC ranked teams.

Franklin & Marshall at Ursinus (Field Hockey)
Two of the nation's top teams square off in a match that has implications for who may secure the top seed for November's Conference championship tournament. The Bears (5-1, 2-0) are ranked second nationally this week behind defending Division III champion Salisbury. The Diplomats (7-1, 1-0) are ranked 12th this week. Ursinus has won all three meetings between the two schools, including a thrilling 4-3 overtime decision in last year's CC title game. A key stat ... Ursinus leads the Conference in scoring average (4.45), while F&M leads the CC in goals against average (1.08). Gettysburg is also ranked this week at No. 18. (Ursinus' Karen Wendler, pictured, is the reigning CC Player of the Week)

Dickinson at McDaniel (Men's Soccer)
The Red Devils (6-2, 1-1) and the Green Terror (5-2-1, 1-0-1) meet for the 44th time in their rivalry that dates to 1931. McDaniel holds a slim 20-19-4 lead with wins in the last two matches and five of the last six. Dickinson has not defeated the Green Terror in Westminster since a 3-0 triumph in 1997. Muhlenberg and Johns Hopkins both fell out of the national top 25 this week. The Mules are fifth in the Mid-Atlantic region, while the Blue Jays (6) and Swarthmore (9) are also in the regional top 10.

McDaniel at Dickinson (Women's Soccer)
The Green Terror (4-3-1, 1-0-1) and the Red Devils (4-1-2, 2-0) meet on the pitch in Carlisle as two of the three remaining unbeatens left in the CC. Dickinson has won the last two meetings and has not lost to McDaniel at home since 1999.  Terror GK Michelle Mullen is second in the Conference in saves per game (6.12) and will be tested by the Devils' Lisa Nichols (5.86) and Jessica Griggs (4.14) - 1-3 in the CC in shots per game. Johns Hopkins remains third in the region and 15th nationally this week. Haverford holds onto the No. 7 spot in the Mid-Atlantic.

Muhlenberg at Haverford (Volleyball)
The last remaining CC unbeatens meet at Alumni Field House tonight. The Fords (10-4, 2-0) are fresh from a 3-2 come-from-behind win at Franklin & Marshall, while the Mules (8-6, 1-0) look to rebound from a disappointing weekend in Massachusetts. The match will feature two of the Conference's top hitters in Haverford's Heidi Jutsum and Muhlenberg's Julie Lauro. Jutsum is third in the Centennial in hitting percentage (.329) and Lauro is second in kills (4.46). The Conference does not have a representative in the national top 25.

Also in the national polls ...
Haverford's men's cross country team is fourth nationally again this week, trailing only Calvin, North Central and Wisconsin-La Crosse ... the Fords top the Mideast Regional rankings, while Dickinson (7), Swarthmore (9) and Muhlenberg (10) are also regionally ranked.

Dickinson's women's harriers sit atop the Mideast Regional rankings, while Haverford (4), Swarthmore (5) and Muhlenberg (10) help the Centennial take four of the top 10 spots in the poll. The Red Devils were ranked 14th nationally in the Sept. 20 poll.

McDaniel's football team is ranked 24th by D3football.com and 25th by the American Football Coaches Association ... Johns Hopkins is listed at No. 24 by the AFCA.