Following the opening week of the 2019 season, Stanford upheld its firm grasp on the No. 1 ranking in the AVCA Coaches poll, garnering 63 of 64 first-place votes. The Cardinal played six sets over the weekend, sweeping College of Charleston and Duke while maintaining a hitting percentage above .350 in both matches.
Receiving the remaining first-place vote was Nebraska, as it maintained its position at No. 2. The Huskers dropped one set over the weekend to then-No. 18 Creighton in a four-set win before sweeping UCLA two days later.
HISTORY LESSON: Florida State topples Minnesota for highest-ranked win in program history
Beyond the top two teams, losses to multiple ranked programs caused movement in the top 10 and throughout the rankings.
Here's how the rest of the poll looks.
|
RANK |
SCHOOL |
POINTS |
RECORD |
PREVIOUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford (63) | 1,599 | 2-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Nebraska (1) | 1,505 | 2-0 | 2 |
| 3 | Texas | 1,441 | 2-0 | 4 |
| 4 | Wisconsin | 1,431 | 2-0 | 5 |
| 5 | Illinois | 1,310 | 2-0 | 6 |
| 6 | Penn State | 1,258 | 3-0 | 8 |
| 7 | Florida | 1,145 | 2-0 | 10 |
| 8 | Minnesota | 1,045 | 1-1 | 3 |
| 9 | Oregon | 992 | 2-0 | 11 |
| 10 | Pittsburgh | 955 | 3-0 | 12 |
| 11 | Marquette | 916 | 3-0 | 16 |
| 12 | Kentucky | 860 | 2-1 | 7 |
| 13 | BYU | 793 | 2-1 | 9 |
| 14 | Michigan | 692 | 3-0 | 15 |
| 15 | Southern California | 658 | 1-1 | 14 |
| 16 | Washington | 649 | 2-1 | 13 |
| 17 | Baylor | 636 | 2-0 | 20 |
| 18 | Purdue | 560 | 1-0 | 17 |
| 19 | Utah | 499 | 3-0 | NR |
| 20 | Hawai'i | 363 | 3-0 | NR |
| 21 | Tennessee | 342 | 0-2 | 19 |
| 22 | Florida State | 335 | 1-1 | NR |
| 23 | Creighton | 209 | 0-2 | 18 |
| 24 | Louisville | 158 | 2-1 | 25 |
| 25 | San Diego | 81 | 1-2 | 21 |
Florida State picked up its highest ranked win in program history on Aug. 31 in straight sets over Minnesota, causing the Gophers to fall to No. 8, down from No. 3 in the preseason.
Falling out of the top 10 is BYU and Kentucky.
The Cougars' four-set loss to Marquette was the program's first home defeat since 2017, dropping BYU four spots to No. 13. Just in front of them at No. 12 in the new rankings is Kentucky, who was swept by Utah after the Utes held the Wildcats to a .056 attacking percentage.
Biggest risers
Marquette's five-spot jump from No. 16 to No. 11 was the largest among teams to appear in both polls thus far. However, three new teams joined the top 25 after notable performances over the opening week of the season.
Florida State checks into the poll for the first time this year at No. 22. After being swept by Wisconsin in their opener, the Seminoles rebounded in a big way with the sweep of Minnesota. FSU returns to the court Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas where it will play FAU, Colorado State and TCU on consecutive days.
Our mood waking up and remembering we beat the #3 team in the country this past weekend 😏#GoNoles | #DoItRight pic.twitter.com/zPZujbpL5D
— FSU Volleyball (@FSU_Volleyball) September 2, 2019
Utah's perfect 3-0 record put it in the discussion to become ranked in the preseason. After the Utes picked up two wins over ranked opponents, including a sweep of then-No. 7 Kentucky, Utah goes from receiving votes to No. 23.
Hawaii was the third and final newcomer to the poll. The Rainbow Wahine also won each of their first three matches, topped by a four-set victory over then-No. 13 Washington Sunday night.
Dropped out
Washington State (22), Cal Poly (23), Arizona (24)
Looking ahead
Top-ranked Stanford will get a double dosage of ranked opponents, its first of 2019, when the Cardinal head to No. 7 Florida on Wednesday before returning home to host No. 3 Texas on Sunday.
Minnesota dropped to No. 8 after its loss to Florida State. The Gophers have a chance to potentially get back into the top 5 when they face Texas on Wednesday.
Creighton and Kentucky both fell five spots after combining for three losses on the opening weekend. Now ranked Nos. 23 and 12 respectively, each will have a chance to get back on track when the Bluejays and Wildcats meet on a neutral floor on Sept. 6. That match will be part of the UNI Tournament in Cedar Falls, Iowa.
