It's time for the Week 7 Power 10 rankings.
I’ve got a few shakeups in the top 10 this week, so let’s get into it.
1. Nebraska (Prev. 1)
Nebraska is at No. 1 after yet another dominant sweep over another top-15 opponent in Purdue, marking the seventh sweep in a row. This team has absolutely no holes. Harper Murray was outstanding in the Boilermaker shutout with 16 kills, on .640 hitting with no errors.
HARP ON THE BIC 😤 ends the rally flying out of the back row and Huskers take S1!
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB)
2. Texas (Prev. 2)
I have Texas at No. 2 after pulling out a five-set win over Tennessee to avoid the upset. Torrey Stafford set a new career high with 30 kills in that match. The win marked the first time since 2009 that Texas has gone unbeaten in nine-straight ranked matches in the regular season. One thing we know is Texas knows how to win in five this year.
IT"S IN THE FAMILY: Cari Spears speaks on the influence of her NFL dad and WNBA mom
3. Kentucky (Prev. 4)
There's some movement this week with Kentucky moving into the top 3 after a Pitt loss. The Wildcats on the other hand impressed with a top 10 win over Texas A&M on the road while Eva Hudson had 24 kills, hitting .373 on the evening with 11 digs.
This never goes out of style😉
— Kentucky Volleyball (@KentuckyVB)
13-12, Texas A&M | Set 4
📺 SEC Network
📱💻
📊 x
4. Pitt (Prev. 3)
The No. 4 spot could go to either Louisville or Pitt here, but I am sticking with the Panthers for now. They just notched a loss to Miami, but I’ve seen Miami in person this year I think they are a team to be reckoned with. So, the Pitt loss is not a so called "bad loss" in my eyes. Plus, the Panthers still have the win over Kentucky that gives them the edge here, and just more ranked wins than Louisville.
🤔 WHO'S LEFT? Track the undefeated women's volleyball teams
5. Louisville (Prev. 5)
Louisville could be argued as No. 4 too, and I wouldn’t push back on it much because I think this team is outstanding. They just haven't played as tough of a schedule at this point as Pitt. Louisville added two more wins this past week and as for that schedule, the Cardinals play SMU and Pittsburgh this weekend to settle that argument. I am pumped.
6. Stanford (Prev. 7)
Stanford is at No. 6 after two sweeps last week over Boston College and Syracuse. The Cardinal hit .337 against the Orange, matching a season-high 10 service aces as middle Lizzy Andrew logged ten kills on a .625 clip.
7. Arizona State (Prev. 8)
At No. 7 I moved up Arizona State over Wisconsin — a team that was just swept by Penn State. I almost didn’t switch them, but then took a deeper look at their resumes and ASU added not one, but two more top-25 wins last week with wins over Colorado and Baylor.
THIS PLAY 😱 x 🎥 ESPN+ /
— NCAA Women's Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball)
8. Wisconsin (Prev. 7)
Wisconsin drops a spot to No. 8 with that Penn State loss. Keep in mind the Badgers are playing without their starting setter in Charlie Fuerbringer, as of now. They responded with a three-set shutout over Maryland on Sunday as Mimi Colyer tallied her 39th career double-double.
9. TCU (Prev. 9)
TCU stays put at No. 9 this week. There's no reason to move them in my mind right now after they notched a win over UCF this week. Sophomore outside Evan Hendrix propelled the Horned Frogs to the 3-1 victory with 22 kills on the night, marking her third 20-plus kill match in the last four contests.
10. SMU (Prev. NR)
Ranking the No. 10 team proved to be really difficult for me this week. I had Texas A&M there last week and they just fell to my No. 3 team Kentucky, which was not a bad loss.
However, I decided to give SMU the edge at No. 10. The Mustangs have one extra loss compared to Texas A&M, but they also played Pitt twice and just beat Miami — a team that just took down Pitt this past weekend. Plus when comparing the two resumes, SMU has the head-to-head win so they slide back in to round out the Power 10.
