Week five saw a string of upsets and yet another crazy weekend of college volleyball. So yet again, we've got some crazy shakeups in this week's Power 10. Games and ranked wins matter the most in my Power 10 rankings, and it certainly doesn't matter where you were ranked last week. So, here are my latest Power 10 rankings:
1. Texas (1)
My number one and two spots in my Power 10 have been the same every single week, but not today. Texas remains the No. 1 team in the country as it remains undefeated, but Wisconsin drops down after a surprise loss to Maryland.
The Longhorns most recently took down Rice in a straight sweep behind a 13 kill performance from Logan Eggleston.
2. Louisville (3)
We've got a new No. 2 team this week — the Louisville Cardinals. UL is 12-0 with three ranked wins on the season over Purdue, Kentucky, and Nebraska. If that doesn’t prove my point enough, I have watched this team play and they look elite in all aspects of the game. They are experienced, they have been playing together for a long time, they have a great coach, and I am so excited to see what they accomplish this season. On top of that, they are one of the top blocking teams in the country with Amaya Tillman and Aiko Jones leading the charge.
3. Pittsburgh (4)
Pitt also gets a bump up to No. 3 with Wisconsin dropping. They are also undefeated with ranked wins over Washington State, Baylor, BYU and Rice. Louisville gets the edge for me because I think their wins are over tougher teams, but Pitt has built quite an impressive resume. This is an extremely balanced offense led by Chinaza Ndee and Kayla Lund.
WILD WEST: Washington State volleyball upsets No. 6 Washington, despite dropping epic, record-tying set
4. Purdue (8)
Purdue moves up to No. 4 in my Power 10 after an impressive weekend with a five-set win over Ohio State. They are now 10-1 with three ranked wins and just one loss to No. 2 on this list — Louisville. Caitlyn Newton and Grace Cleveland posted 15 kills apiece in the five-set win over the third-ranked Buckeyes.
5. Wisconsin (2)
Wisconsin drops to No. 5 after a big loss to unranked Maryland. This was certainly an uncharacteristic and surprising defeat for the Badgers. They recorded a season-low hitting percentage of .196 and had a season-high 17 service errors. Maryland's defense played well and they won it in five sets. The Badgers are now 9-1 and still have two big ranked wins on the season, so they remain at No. 5.
6. BYU (6)
At six and seven I have BYU and Kentucky. These two spots feel a little high for both of these teams, but a lot of teams have a lot of losses this year and no one proved they deserved to move up this past weekend. The Cougars are 12-1 with one loss to Pitt and a ranked win over Utah. I would like for them to have more ranked wins to be my No. 6 team but we’ve got a tough slate to work with.
7. Kentucky (9)
The Wildcats do have three losses, but they also pushed Louisville to five (which is impressive) and have a win over Stanford. Last weekend they beat Missouri to stay in the 6-10 range for me.
PENN STATE DOMINATES: No. 20 Penn State volleyball pulls off a huge Big Ten upset with sweep over No. 3 Ohio State
8. Minnesota (NR)
Minnesota comes in at No. 8 after multiple teams drop out of my Power 10. Their 7-3 record is largely in part due to its extremely tough scheduling this season. They recently picked up two ranked wins over Oregon and Stanford, and just swept Maryland, who beat Wisconsin this week. They are back in, and I am so excited to see the Wisconsin-Minnesota matchup coming up.
9. Oregon (NR)
Oregon enters my Power 10 at No. 9, below Minnesota since the Gophers have the head-to-head win and stronger wins. The Ducks did beat Penn State earlier in the year but had a few close calls as of late with five-set wins. They crash into my rankings boasting an 11-1 record and with Ohio State and Washington dropping out.
10. Baylor (NR)
Baylor is the last newcomer this week at No. 10. The Bears are 7-3 with three ranked wins. That matters. Ohio State Washington and Stanford drop out after tough weeks for them. The Huskies fell to Washington State and Utah last week to move to three losses this year, and with no ranked wins I can't justify keeping them in.
Ohio State lost to Purdue last week and then Penn State in a straight sweep. The Buckeyes just have one ranked win over Washington who also dropped out, so they take a really big fall in my book. And Stanford, who has some big-time wins this season just fell to UCLA, so I think teams like Oregon, Minnesota and Baylor deserve to be ranked over the Cardinal.
