Nebraska Volleyball Returns as Unanimous No. 1 Team in Latest AVCA Rankings

For the first time since mid-September, Nebraska volleyball is rated as the unanimous No. 1 team in college volleyball.

Nebraska middle blocker Andi Jackson attacks against Oregon. / Kenny Larabee, KLIN

Nebraska volleyball collected all of the possible first-place votes in the latest AVCA rankings, confirming the Huskers' spot as the top team in college volleyball.

The Huskers (22-0, 12-0 Big Ten) continued their streak as the No. 1 team in the latest AVCA coaches poll rankings released on Monday. Nebraska earned all 61 possible first-place votes, regaining two votes from the previous No. 2 team in Texas. The Longhorns (18-2, 10-2 SEC) dropped back-to-back matches at Texas A&M and at home against Kentucky, dropping Texas to No. 3 while the Wildcats bumped to No. 2. Nebraska is the unanimous No. 1 team for the third time this season, securing all the first-place votes for the first time since the week three polls.

Nebraska continued its winning streak and straight-set victories over the weekend, dispatching No. 11 Wisconsin and Oregon in sweeps on Friday and Sunday, respectively. The Big Red have yet to give up a set in Big Ten play, and last dropped a set on Sept. 16 to Creighton. Texas had remained the No. 2-ranked program since the week two edition of the AVCA polls, having begun the season at No. 5, while Kentucky replaces the Longhorns after beginning the season as the preseason No. 7.

Rebekah Allick (left) and Bergen Reilly (right) celebrate a block. / Amarillo Mullen

Nebraska has earned victories over five of the top 10 teams in the current rankings, taking down No. 3 Pittsburgh in the season opener 3-1, followed by a sweep over No. 5 Stanford. The Huskers reverse-swept No. 2 Kentucky on Aug. 31 at Bridgestone Arena and won in a sweep over No. 9 Purdue on Oct. 12. Nebraska also has top 25 wins over No. 11 Wisconsin, No. 12 Creighton and No. 25 Penn State.

The Huskers are now the only unbeaten program in college volleyball following the Longhorns' back-to-back losses. Nebraska's 22-match win streak is the longest in the country, followed by Kentucky's 15-consecutive wins.

The Big Ten Conference remained strong in the top 10 rankings, as No. 1 Nebraska led the pack while No. 9 Purdue moved up one spot in the poll. No. 11 Wisconsin remained at its spot from last week despite the home loss to Nebraska, while the conference also included USC, Indiana, Minnesota, and Penn State. UCLA and Michigan each earned votes in this week's poll.

Nebraska players celebrate during their sweep at No. 11 Wisconsin. / Nebraska Athletics

The Southeastern Conference continued to hold firm with three top-10 teams in No. 2 Kentucky, No. 3 Texas, and No. 6 Texas A&M. The SEC also included No. 19 Tennessee to total four top-25 rated teams, as Florida fell out of the rankings from No. 25. The Gators and Missouri received votes in this week's ranking.

The Atlantic Coast Conference leads all conferences with four top 10 programs, as No. 3 Pittsburgh, No. 5 Stanford, No. 7 Louisville, and No. 10 SMU led the ACC. No. 14 Miami (FL) and No. 15 North Carolina also earned top 25 nods, totaling five ranked programs for the conference. Georgia Tech received votes in this week's ranking.

The Big 12 Conference had one top 10 representative as No. 8 Arizona State led the conference in this week's rankings. The conference also included No. 13 Kansas, No. 16 TCU, No. 20 Colorado, No. 21 BYU, No. 23 Baylor, and No. 24 Iowa State to total seven top 25 programs, the most by any conference.

Creighton volleyball coach Brian Rosen coaches the Bluejays at the CHI Health Center during a September match against Nebraska. / Kenny Larabee, KLIN

The Big East Conference placed only one team in the rankings with No. 12 Creighton, remaining at the same spot as last week's poll. Creighton had not dropped a set in seven straight matches, but escaped a Saturday night five-set thriller in Omaha against Marquette.

Other teams receiving votes in this week's poll included Florida, Missouri, Western Kentucky, UTEP, UCLA, Georgia Tech, Michigan, and Xavier. Five teams were mentioned on only one ballot for a combined 11 points.

Nebraska volleyball has four regular-season matches remaining against ranked opponents. The Huskers are set to travel to No. 22 Minnesota on Nov. 8. The Huskers then travel to the West Coast, taking on RV UCLA and No. 17 USC on Nov. 14 and Nov. 16, respectively. Nebraska's final ranked matchups finish at No. 18 Indiana and a home rematch with No. 19 Penn State on Nov. 28.

Rebekah Allick (5) celebrates winning set point in the first. / Amarillo Mullen

The Huskers continue Big Ten Conference play this week, welcoming Illinois to the Bob Devaney Sports Center on Thursday at 7 p.m. CST, then traveling to No. 22 Minnesota for a 2:30 p.m. CST first serve. The Illinois contest will be broadcast on FS1, while the Huskers and Gophers will compete on Peacock. Both matches will be broadcast across the Huskers Radio Network and its affiliate stations.

AVCA Top 25 Coaches Poll

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

---

More From Nebraska On SI

feed

---

Stay up to date on all things Huskers by bookmarking Nebraska Cornhuskers On SI, subscribing to HuskerMax on YouTube, and visiting HuskerMax.com daily.