When top-ranked Stanford lost on Friday, the upset to the hands of then-No. 9 BYU was certain to highlight the action in the second week of the season. But that ended up being just the beginning of higher ranked teams losing.
Here are five takeaways from the new coaches poll.
RELATED: No. 8 Wisconsin takes down No. 2 Texas in four sets
Full AVCA coaches top 25 poll:
| RANK | SCHOOL | POINTS | RECORD | PREVIOUS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RANK | SCHOOL | POINTS | RECORD | PREVIOUS | |
| 1 | Minnesota (35) | 1538 | 5-0 | 3 | |
| 2 | Wisconsin (6) | 1460 | 4-0 | 8 | |
| 3 | BYU (7) | 1424 | 5-0 | 9 | |
| 4 | Stanford (8) | 1414 | 4-1 | 1 | |
| 5 | Penn State (4) | 1289 | 5-0 | 6 | |
| 6 | Texas | 1274 | 3-1 | 2 | |
| 7 | Nebraska (3) | 1257 | 4-1 | 5 | |
| 8 | Florida | 1117 | 3-2 | 4 | |
| 9 | UCLA | 1085 | 4-0 | 10 | |
| 10 | Southern California (1) | 1076 | 5-1 | 7 | |
| 11 | Illinois | 1048 | 5-0 | 11 | |
| 12 | Washington | 813 | 3-1 | 13 | |
| 13 | Pittsburgh | 799 | 6-0 | 14 | |
| 14 | Creighton | 716 | 4-2 | 15 | |
| 15 | Baylor | 604 | 4-2 | 12 | |
| T-16 | Kentucky | 582 | 3-3 | 16 | |
| T-16 | San Diego | 582 | 1-3 | 19 | |
| 18 | Oregon | 514 | 4-2 | 18 | |
| 19 | Purdue | 450 | 5-0 | 20 | |
| 20 | Michigan | 310 | 5-0 | 23 | |
| 21 | Utah | 299 | 5-1 | 22 | |
| 22 | Cal Poly | 216 | 5-1 | 24 | |
| 23 | Washington State | 202 | 4-0 | NR | |
| 24 | Colorado | 192 | 3-2 | 21 | |
| 25 | Marquette | 165 | 5-1 | NR |
1. Gophers take care of business
While the two teams ahead of Minnesota lost on the road, the Gophers decided to stay with the course and now they’re being rewarded with the No. 1 ranking. Minnesota did what championship-caliber teams are supposed to do with three straight, straight-set victories. This week Minnesota will put that ranking on the line against No. 18 Oregon and No. 4 Stanford.
Our #Gophers swept Arkansas to finish off the Diet Coke Classic Saturday evening. Take a look at the highlights here. pic.twitter.com/ozlpxgA4q3
— Minnesota Volleyball (@GopherVBall) September 3, 2018
2. UCF loss hurt Southern California
Southern California was arguably the most impressive team during opening weekend and this week the Trojans followed it up with a top-five win at Florida. But all that momentum was derailed with a surprising four-set upset to unranked UCF and any jump the Trojans could have made in the rankings turned to a fall of three spots.
RELATED: UCF upsets Southern California | No. 7 Trojans take down No. 4 Florida
This last point is 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/ptLU7ef8G4
— UCF Volleyball (@UCF_Volleyball) September 2, 2018
3. BYU, Washington State, Wisconsin take huge leaps
It isn’t surprising the BYU Cougars were rewarded heavily for beating No. 1 Stanford, but it also benefited from losses by Florida, Texas and Southern California to jump six spots to No. 3. Washington State also made a significant jump from unranked to No. 23 after two wins at then-No. 17 Northern Iowa. Washington State’s 4-0 start is its best since 2013. The Badgers also rose six spots after beating then-No. 2 Texas on its home floor.
RELATED: Taylor Mims' career-high 26 kills lead Washington State past No. 17 Northern Iowa4. Big Ten boost
The Big Ten often is dubbed as the best conference in Division I women’s volleyball, and it’s difficult to argue with three teams in the top five and four in the top seven. No. 5 Penn State will be in Stanford, California, with top-ranked Minnesota this week to battle the Cardinal and the Oregon Ducks. Expect the Big Ten to be heavily represented in the top 10 all season, once again.
Down goes Texas! pic.twitter.com/mQMmp1MYUk
— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) September 2, 2018
5. Northern Iowa fallout
Last week it appeared Northern Iowa could have been on the fast track to a national seed, after two impressive victories against top-15 teams Creighton and Kentucky. This week, the Panthers lost all three matches at home and silenced that narrative. Northern Iowa fell out of the top 25 from No. 17 following losses to Iowa State and Washington State twice, all of which came at home.
Other notable takeaways:
Michigan continues to climb in the polls. This week the Wolverines jumped Utah, which also had an undefeated weekend, to the No. 20 spot.
Moving on UP 💪 pic.twitter.com/OvAdpJqkoc
— Michigan Volleyball (@umichvball) September 3, 2018
After a winless opening weekend, Kentucky and Oregon stayed put in the poll with undefeated weekends against lesser competition. On the other end of the spectrum, San Diego lost to UCLA but beat Baylor to jump Oregon and into a tie at No. 16 with Kentucky. Another week shows that even losing to top competition can even out in the end.
