Nebraska Volleyball Goes Back-To-Back Weeks as Unanimous No. 1 Team by AVCA

The Huskers once again earned the top billing in the AVCA poll, receiving all 61 first-place votes.

Nebraska outside hitter Harper Murray reacts after middle blocker Andi Jackson scored a point for the Huskers against Pittsburgh. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

For the second week in a row, Nebraska volleyball remains head and shoulders above the rest of college volleyball.

The Huskers (6-0) retained their spot as the unanimous No. 1 team in the nation Monday, again receiving all 61 first-place votes in the latest AVCA coaches poll. Texas (4-0) remains No. 2.

Nebraska has earned three victories over top-10 opponents already this season, taking down No. 3 Pittsburgh, No. 6 Stanford and No. 7 Kentucky. Since those matchups, Pittsburgh has slipped to No. 7, while Stanford and Kentucky have risen to No. 5 and No. 3, respectively.

Nebraska volleyball players celebrate a point against Cal. | Nebraska Athletics

The Huskers continued their dominant start to the season over the weekend with back-to-back sweeps over non-conference opponents. Nebraska handled Wright State 25-16, 25-16, and 25-20 on Friday, then beat California 25-15, 25-18, and 25-12 on Sunday. Nebraska remained one of seven top 25 programs with an unbeaten record.

The Big Ten Conference continued to stay well represented in the AVCA rankings with seven teams earning top 25 spots while two more received votes in this week's poll. Nebraska led the conference at No. 1, followed by No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 12 Penn State, No. 13 Minnesota, No. 14 Purdue, No. 16 USC, and No. 24 UCLA. Oregon was the top-vote receiving team outside of the top 25, while Indiana also received votes.

The Southeastern Conference featured three teams in the top 10 and five teams in the top 25. No. 2 Texas and No. 3 Kentucky both remained behind Nebraska at the top overall spot, while No. 8 Texas A&M, No. 11 Florida, and No. 23 Missouri all remained in the top 25. Tennessee and LSU also received votes in this week's poll.

Nebraska middle blocker Rebekah Allick fires a kill through the Stanford defense during the first set of the AVCA First Serve vs. Stanford. | Kenny Larabee, KLIN

The Atlantic Coast Conference nabbed four spots in the top 10 and six spots in this week's AVCA rankings. No. 4 Louisville led the ACC ahead of No. 5 Stanford and No. 7 Pittsburgh, while No. 10 SMU rounded out the conference's top 10 teams. No. 21 Georgia Tech and No. 25 North Carolina jumped in the rankings, as North Carolina remains unbeaten and had received votes in last week's poll. Miami (FL) also received votes.

The Big 12 Conference had one top-10 team and six total programs in this week's top 25. No. 9 Arizona State slipped two spots from last week. No. 15 TCU, No. 17 Kansas, No. 19 BYU, No. 20 Baylor, and No. 22 Utah remained in this week's poll. Arizona and Colorado also received votes.

The Big East Conference had one representative, as Nebraska's in-state rival, Creighton, landed at No. 18. The Bluejays and Huskers match up in Omaha on Tuesday, Sept. 16, at the CHI Health Center. The Big East also saw Marquette receive votes.

Nebraska's Bergen Reilly and Andi Jackson work to block a Creighton attack last season. | Nebraska Athletics

Other teams receiving votes include Oregon, Tennessee, Dayton, Marquette, Western Kentucky, Arizona, Miami (FL), Indiana, UTEP, Colorado, UC Santa Barbara, LSU, and South Florida. Six other teams were mentioned on only one ballot for seven combined points.

Nebraska volleyball has nine matches coming up on its schedule against ranked opponents: No. 22 Utah, No. 18 Creighton, No. 12 Penn State, No. 14 Purdue, No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 13 Minnesota, No. 24 UCLA, No. 16 USC, and a rematch with the Nittany Lions.

The Huskers are back in action for the Husker Invitational this weekend at John Cook Arena, battling No. 22 Utah on Friday at 6 p.m. CDT. Nebraska will then host Grand Canyon University on Saturday at 6 p.m. , followed by the Huskers' in-state tilt with Creighton the following Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. The Big Red wraps up the non-conference slate hosting Arizona on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 8 p.m.

AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll

1. Nebraska (61)
2. Texas
3. Kentucky
4. Louisville
5. Stanford
6. Wisconsin
7. Pittsburgh
8. Texas A&M
9. Arizona State
10. SMU
11. Florida
12. Penn State
13. Minnesota
14. Purdue
15. TCU
16. USC
17. Kansas
18. Creighton
19. BYU
20. Baylor
21. Georgia Tech
22. Utah
23. Missouri
24. UCLA
25. North Carolina

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