Let's go through my first Power 10 rankings after an electric first two weekends of volleyball.
It's still early and there are a few games still to be played tonight, so these rankings could change by the end of the day. But let's get into it.
1. Nebraska (Prev. 1)
Nebraska remains at my number one spot after looking close to unbeatable at AVCA First Serve Showcase, racking back to back top-ten wins. They dropped the first two sets against Kentucky at the Broadway Block Party but their lineup still looks insane. Harper Murray was on another level, tallying 23 kills on .340 hitting while both Nebraska middles ended up with 10 kills in their thriller against the Wildcats. Head coach Dani Busboom Kelly showed that her team has the depth, switching Laney Choboy and Olivia Mauch at the libero spot and Allie Sczech and Virginia Adriano on the right side.
👉 Check out how Nebraska completed the reverse sweep against Kentucky here.
No. 7 on but No. 1 in our eyes 👀
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB)
s/o to on the Top 10 feature 🙂↕️
2. Texas (Prev. 3)
The Longhorns showed up for the 2025 season looking really impressive at the Opening Spike Classic, taking down No. 8 Wisconsin and No. 12 Creighton in straight sets with their freshmen looking like seasoned veterans. Cari Spears led with 11 kills on a .476 clip and two blocks against the Badgers and the duo of Emma Halter and Ramsey Gary in the backcourt looks dangerous, both totaling double-digit kills.
3. Kentucky (Prev. 6)
I don't care that the record shows Kentucky at 1-1 to start the season. The Wildcats pushed the number one team in the nation in Nebraska and controlled the narrative for two sets. Brooklyn Deleye and Eva Hudson put up scary numbers, with 23 and 19 put-aways respectively. They also have a new setter in Ava Sarafa, replacing the All-American Emma Grome and it's still early. They are easily at the number three spot for me.
💪💪💪💪💪 (need we say more?)
— Kentucky Volleyball (@KentuckyVB)
18- 18 | Set 1
📺 ABC
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📊 x
4. Penn State (Prev. 2)
Penn State drops to the number four spot, and I even considered dropping them lower after the loss to Arizona State and getting pushed to five by Kansas. But again, it is extremely early, and the Nittany Lion team has time and all the assets to shine. They play Kentucky this Friday, which will be a good test to see how they rebound after the loss to the Sun Devils. I still think they have the makings of a great team.
👉 Check out who had the best performances to start the season here.
5. Louisville (Prev. 8)
Louisville moves up to the number five spot. It looked really impressive to start the season with decisive three-set victories over Auburn and Morehead State. But we haven't seen the Cardinal against ranked teams yet. The upside is they look really balanced right out of the gates, and Nayelis Cabello is balling out with 65 assists with 17 digs and eight kills already.
6. Arizona State (Prev. unranked)
Hello Arizona State! HUGEEEE jump entering the Power 10 after making a statement upset over the No. 2 Penn State. Noemie Glover was on my top five returning opposites for the 2025 season and she showed exactly why. Glover tallied 22 kills, 10 blocks, both career highs, all while hitting .372 on the day. I really like how this team looks and how Head Coach JJ Van Niel built this team through the portal.
7. Texas A&M (Prev. 9)
Texas A&M showed off in their win over No.11 Minnesota, where Logan Lednicky shone exactly as we had hoped and expected. Her stand-out performance included 22 kills, 12 digs and four blocks against the Gophers, not to mention Ifenna Cos-Okpalla just dominating in the middle. The Aggies did get pushed to five this past weekend by Central Arkansas, but I think there is a lot of good on this Aggie team.
8. Pittsburgh (Prev. 4)
The Panthers started off their season 0-2, but it was to No.1 Nebraska and No. 16 Florida. They have a new setter and libero, and the loss of Rachel Fairbanks at the setting position is a big adjustment. They had some more balance offensively in their matchup against TCU, and did not rely only on Olivia Babcock, which is a good sign. They have to get the middle involved moving forward.
9. Wisconsin (Prev. 5)
Wisconsin comes in at number nine. The Badgers are hanging on in the Power 10 for now after losing in straight sets to a strong Texas team. They started out with a five-set win over Kansas, where Mimi Colyer balled out with 26 kills, 10 digs and five blocks, but hit just .141 in their loss to The Longhorns.
No. 7 on but No. 1 in our eyes 👀
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB)
s/o to on the Top 10 feature 🙂↕️
10. Stanford (Prev. 7)
Stanford hangs on in the final spot with a really young group and certainly a lot of potential. It took down a fiery Florida team in five which was impressive. But the Cardinals were then swept by Nebraska. They have tallied two more wins since then but have another test with a match at Texas this Sunday.
First team out
Florida is my first team out, just missing the top ten. The Gators impressed in a win over No. 3 Pitt, and I really like how the Gators are shaping up. Not to mention, Jordyn Byrd is on fire.
I'm also excited to see UCLA take the court for the first time this season tonight against Long Beach State.
