There were upsets galore over the weekend with No. 1 going down for the second consecutive week and previous No. 15 Baylor shockingly losing to UT-Rio Grande Valley after defeating then-No. 2 Wisconsin. All in all, there were 10 games in which a ranked team lost to a lower-ranked or unranked opponent.
Here are five takeaways from the new coaches poll.
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Full AVCA coaches top 25 poll:
| RANK | SCHOOL | POINTS | RECORD | PREVIOUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BYU (54) | 1590 | 8-0 | 3 |
| 2 | Stanford (10) | 1543 | 6-1 | 4 |
| 3 | Texas | 1410 | 5-1 | 6 |
| 4 | Nebraska | 1369 | 6-1 | 7 |
| 5 | Penn St. | 1345 | 6-1 | 5 |
| 6 | Wisconsin | 1247 | 5-1 | 2 |
| 7 | Minnesota | 1229 | 5-2 | 1 |
| 8 | Illinois | 1169 | 8-0 | 11 |
| 9 | Pittsburgh | 1058 | 9-0 | 13 |
| 10 | Creighton | 867 | 6-3 | 14 |
| 11 | Florida | 826 | 5-3 | 8 |
| 12 | Oregon | 817 | 5-3 | 18 |
| 13 | Washington | 762 | 5-2 | 12 |
| 14 | Cal Poly | 697 | 7-1 | 22 |
| 15 | Purdue | 667 | 8-0 | 19 |
| T-16 | Southern California | 641 | 6-3 | 10 |
| T-16 | UCLA | 641 | 4-2 | 9 |
| 18 | Baylor | 592 | 6-3 | 15 |
| 19 | Michigan | 539 | 9-0 | 20 |
| 20 | Kentucky | 455 | 4-4 | 16 |
| 21 | Marquette | 427 | 7-2 | 25 |
| 22 | Washington St. | 332 | 7-0 | 23 |
| 23 | San Diego | 207 | 2-4 | 16 |
| 24 | Utah | 93 | 7-2 | 21 |
| 25 | Alabama | 53 | 9-0 | NR |
BYU new No. 1 followed by Stanford
After defeating then-No. 1 Stanford more than a week ago, BYU’s case for the top spot in the top-25 rankings was only made stronger with wins against ranked foes USC and Marquette. With No. 1 Minnesota and No. 2 Wisconsin losing over the weekend, the Cougars made the jump from No. 3 to No. 1 for their first top ranking in 32 years. Stanford, however, had the most impressive week with wins against No. 5 Penn State and No. 1 Minnesota. There are 53 points that separate the Cardinal and the Cougars. Texas is more than 100 points behind Stanford at No. 3.
After this week, we are one of the NINE undefeated teams left in @NCAAVolleyball!🙃#BYUWVB #GoCougs pic.twitter.com/HdZ6CXHRj3
— BYU Women’s Volleyball (@BYUwvolleyball) September 10, 2018
MORE: Stanford upsets No. 1 Minnesota to cap Big Ten/Pac-12 challenge
Alabama makes first-ever appearance
There’s a number next to the name for the first time in Crimson Tide volleyball history. Coach Ed Allen has transformed the Alabama program since he was named head coach in 2010. The program hadn’t had a winning season since 2005 when he took over and has had a winning season each year, including a program-best 26 wins in 2014 and two NCAA tournament appearances. The Crimson Tide are 9-0 and have their first ranked matchup this week against Purdue.
HISTORY! 👏🙌🏐
— Alabama Volleyball (@AlabamaVBall) September 10, 2018
For the first time in program history, Alabama is ranked in the @AVCAVolleyball top 25, coming in at No. 25 in this week's poll
📰: https://t.co/zZ7DrsPGCX#RollTide pic.twitter.com/OVrWFAsPsl
Big Ten adds another team to top 10
Yes, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Penn State all lost for the first time, but the Illinois Fighting Illini jumped to No. 8, giving the Big Ten an astounding five members in the top 10, all of which are ranked 4 through 8. Also, keep an eye on No. 15 Purdue and No. 19 Michigan. The Wolverines and Boilermakers are the two remaining unbeaten teams in the Big Ten. Michigan has yet to lose a set and has two games against Notre Dame before opening Big Ten play against their first ranked opponent, No. 4 Nebraska. Purdue has No. 25 Alabama this coming week.
☑️ Tournament MVP Honors
— Illini Volleyball (@IlliniVBall) September 10, 2018
☑️ 4.33 kills per set
☑️ .493 hitting %
☑️ 11.78 assists per set
☑️ .383 team hitting %
☑️ 28 digs@meganCooney & @Jordyn_Poulter brought it this weekend. 💪🏼
📰 https://t.co/sr5VieRRVQ pic.twitter.com/8v3wRtkviy
Pittsburgh and Cal Poly rewarded for statement wins
The Pitt Panthers continue to set program highs for their ranking. After defeating No. 12 Washington twice for the first time in program history, the Panthers have their first-ever top-10 ranking. Pitt is also the only loss on Cal Poly’s schedule, which probably isn’t what many thought following two games against No. 9 UCLA. However, the Mustangs took down the Bruins in four sets twice and had the biggest jump this week, from No. 22 to No. 14.
MORE: Pittsburgh sweeps No. 12 Washington to earn best start since 1983
That feeling when you wake up on #SaturdayMorning after beating #9 UCLA on your home court 2 nights in a row. #RideHigh pic.twitter.com/JhuQjo23WG
— Cal Poly Volleyball (@CalPolyVolley) September 8, 2018
Baylor drops after wild week
Nothing against UT-Rio Grande Valley, but Baylor probably thought No. 2 Wisconsin was going to be its toughest test on the weekend. The Bears upset the Badgers in four sets and looked poised for a top-10 ranking. But UTRGV spoiled those thoughts and stunned the Bears, which ultimately dropped three spots. Big 12 player of the year candidate Yossiana Pressley had 29 kills but 15 hitting errors for the Bears in that match.
MORE: Baylor loses in five sets to UT-Rio Grande Valley
Other notable takeaways:
The Pac-12 was all over the place in the third week of the season. Stanford and Oregon both beat No. 1 Minnesota and both made moves in the poll. Oregon lost to Penn State while the Cardinal beat the Nittany Lions, but the Ducks still jumped six spots to No. 12. UCLA and Southern California dropped seven and six spots, respectively, to be tied at 16. The Trojans lost to BYU and Marquette, which jumped from No. 25 to No. 21.
MORE: No. 10 USC loses to No. 25 Marquette in five sets
Minnesota and Wisconsin dropped to No. 7 and No. 6 after losses. In the end, the movement right now in the Big Ten and Pac-12 doesn’t matter a ton, given most of those teams will play each other twice.
