AVCA Volleyball Poll — Where Does Purdue Rank After 1-1 Big Ten Start?

Purdue is off to a 1-1 start in Big Ten play. Where do the Boilermakers rank in the latest AVCA poll after beating Washington and falling to Illinois?

Purdue Junior Taylor Anderson (5) returns an errant dig | Chad Krockover / For The Journal & Courier / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Purdue has seen a slight dip in the latest AVCA rankings following a 1-1 start to Big Ten play. The Boilermakers dropped three spots and now sit at No. 13 in this week's poll.

Last week, the Boilers were ranked No. 10 in the country, taking a 9-1 record into conference action. Purdue swept Washington at Mackey Arena in its Big Ten opener, starting the week off on the right foot.

But Purdue failed to keep that momentum through the weekend.

On Sunday, the Boilermakers dropped a four-set match to Illinois to fall to 1-1 in Big Ten play and 10-2 overall. It snapped an eight-game winning streak and was the team's first loss since being defeated by Georgia Tech in the Stacey Clark Classic in early September.

There is no time for Purdue to sit around and sulk after Sunday's loss. Dave Shondell and his team head out to Los Angeles for matches against No. 24 UCLA on Thursday and No. 17 USC on Saturday.

AVCA College Volleyball Top 25 (Sept. 29)

Every Monday, the AVCA releases its top 25 in college volleyball. Here's what the poll looks like as we prepare to turn the calendar to October and enter the heart of conference play across the country:

1. Nebraska Cornhuskers (12-0)
2. Texas Longhorns (10-0)
3. Kentucky Wildcats (9-2)
4. Stanford Cardinal (11-2)
5. Pitt Panthers (10-2)
6. Louisville Cardinals (10-2)
7. Wisconsin Badgers (9-1)
8. Arizona State Sun Devils (11-2)
9. Texas A&M Aggies (10-2)
10. Minnesota Golden Gophers (12-1)
11. SMU Mustangs (8-4)
12. TCU Horned Frogs (11-3)
13. Purdue Boilermakers (10-2)
14. Creighton Bluejays (9-5)
15. Baylor Bears (8-3)
16. Penn State Nittany Lions (7-5)
17. USC Trojans (10-2)
18. Kansas Jayhawks (10-6)
19. BYU Cougars (13-1)
20. Tennessee Volunteers (11-1)
21. Missouri Tigers (8-5)
22. Miami Hurricanes (12-1)
23. Florida Gators (6-5)
24. UCLA Bruins (8-4)
25. North Carolina Tar Heels (9-2)

Purdue looks ahead to UCLA, USC

Yes, Purdue would love to be heading to Los Angeles with a perfect 2-0 record in Big Ten play, but that won't be the case. After Sunday's loss to Illinois, the focus was on regrouping and regaining confidence before two huge conference matches.

"We know we have two big games coming up," Purdue outside hitter Kenna Wollard said. "When we get back in the gym, we have to be positive and put this one out of our mind. This is one we thought we could win and really, really wanted to get, but we can't let it affect how we play the next two games."

Purdue's match against UCLA is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET. Saturday's match against USC has a first serve time of 9:30 p.m. ET. Both matches will air on Big Ten Network.

Related stories on Purdue volleyball

PURDUE LOOKS TO REGROUP AFTER LOSS: Purdue suffered a 3-1 loss to Illinois at Mackey Arena on Sunday. The Boilermakers must regroup quickly with a trip to Los Angeles coming up soon. CLICK HERE

STARS SHOW UP AT MACKEY: Several big names showed up at Mackey Arena on Thursday night to support the Purdue volleyball team in its Big Ten opener against Washington. CLICK HERE