A quality-of-wins index (QWI) will be added to the formula used as a tool in aiding the Division II Women's Volleyball Committee's selection process for the 2005 championships.

The committee, which met in Indianapolis earlier this month, will include the QWI as a way to streamline the criteria used in selecting teams for postseason play.

"The quality-of-wins index is what we were calling the regional strength of schedule last season," said Kathleen Brasfield, the chair of the Division II Women's Volleyball Committee. "But we will have a true strength of schedule that we will also be using for selection in fall 2005. The strength-of-schedule index is the average of percentage of the opponents' won-lost record."

There are several factors that will go into figuring the QWI of individual institutions.

"It is a point system for wins on the road, wins at a neutral site and wins at home, and it also includes your opponents' winning percentage," said Brasfield, director of women's athletics and head volleyball coach at Angelo State University. "So if you are playing an opponent with a winning percentage of .750 or more, you get more points than you would if you defeated an opponent that had a .250 winning percentage."

Brasfield stressed that the formula is only part of the selection process. Other factors will remain in the decision-making process.

"The committee will still be looking at head-to-head results within a region and results against common opponents," she said. "But now you'll have a quality-of-wins index and a regional strength-of-schedule index as well as your Division II won-lost record."

The ultimate goal of any system is to ensure the best championship possible.

"The committee is responsible for getting the best eight teams to the regional tournaments," Brasfield said. "The whole concept of Division II postseason is based on regionalization. This is the main thing we need to get out to volleyball coaches."

The committee also talked about the plans for the Division II Fall National Championships Festival, which will be at the University of West Florida in November 2006 (see the February 28 issue of The NCAA News).