The NCAA DI college volleyball committee revealed its top 10 listing on Sunday, Nov. 3 during the Purdue vs. Minnesota match.
The reveal gives a first glance at potential teams competing for top seed positions in the upcoming 2019 Division I Women’s Volleyball Championship tournament.
Here is their top 10 listing:
NCAA DI Women's Volleyball Committee's Top 10 rankings
| Rank | Team |
|---|---|
| 1 | Texas |
| 2 | Baylor |
| 3 | Wisconsin |
| 4 | Stanford |
| 5 | Pitt |
| 6 | Nebraska |
| 7 | Washington |
| 8 | Minnesota |
| 9 | Florida |
| 10 | Creighton |
Texas was a committee consensus for the No. 1 spot, according to NCAA committee chair Michelle Durban, after they took down then-No. 1 Baylor in three straight sets. The Longhorns have won the last 10 matches, and are now looking really good with the return of Brionne Butler.
Butler led the Longhorns in the Baylor sweep with 12 kills, eight blocks and a .500 hitting percentage.
Baylor took the No. 2 spot. The Bears now only have one loss to the No. 1 team in the country. Before their loss to Texas, they had won 31 straight sets, and were undefeated. Wisconsin follows right behind Baylor after turning it around in the second half of the season. They struggled early, but now are 11-0 in conference play and leading the strong Big Ten conference, which was a big factor in their No. 3 spot.
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Stanford is in the No. 4 spot. Despite falling to UCLA last week, and playing without Kathryn Plummer, the committee looked at their full body of work. The Cardinal had one of the strongest schedules this season, and multiple top-25 wins. Durban also included that there are many other teams suffering from injuries that are still included in the top 10.
Pittsburgh and Nebraska are next. Pitt only has one loss this season, but lack some quality wins. They are fifth in RPI, and came in at five in the NCAA top 10 reveal as well. Nebraska is seventh in the RPI, but came in at No. 6 in the NCAA top 10. They just proved themselves in a huge Big Ten rivalry matchup over Penn State on Saturday, Nov. 2. The Huskers displayed a very balanced offense, with four players tallying double-digit kills. Lexi Sun had 20 kills in the five-set win, and Madi Kubik had 15 kills.
The bottom end of the top-10 rankings is where things got tricky, according to NCAA committee chair Durban. A lot of teams could have qualified for these spots, so they had to look really closely at all of the factors, and comparing teams head to head.
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Washington came in at No. 7 after a lot of ups and downs this season. Durban was aware that the Huskies just fell to Utah and USC, but noted that they have big wins over Stanford, and Wisconsin twice.
Florida is included as well at No. 9. They are 10th in the RPI ranking, and the committee compared them head-to-head with multiple other teams in the running for the top 10, and decided on the Gators due to RPI and top-25 wins.
Minnesota is currently playing without their starting setter due to injury, but they have been striding along, with five straight wins since their loss to Wisconsin. Creighton closes out the top 10; they just recently beat Marquette head-to-head. They come into the committee's top 10 a lot higher than they are in the RPI, where they sit at No. 20.
There is still a lot of volleyball to be played though, and the committee will continue deliberations as conference play finishes up. The NCAA tournament selection show will be held on Sunday, December 1 at 8:30 pm ET on ESPNU.
