The NCAA DI Women's Volleyball Committee revealed its first in-season top-10 rankings Sunday afternoon during the Tennessee-Kentucky match. The full list is below:
- Wisconsin
- Nebraska
- Florida
- Stanford
- Louisville
- Washington State
- Oregon
- BYU
- Texas
- Minnesota
Breaking down the top 10 ⬇️
Wisconsin and Nebraska are the obvious frontrunners, as they're two of the four remaining undefeated teams in Division I, both taking five ranked wins in 2023. Wisconsin posts a .300 average clip and has only dropped eight sets so far. The Husker defense has been on lock all season, leading the nation with a .100 opponent hitting percentage. Bekka Allick and Andi Jackson cover the middle with 85 combined blocks on the season while AVCA All-American libero Lexi Rodriguez has dug up 112 in the backcourt.
Up next, Florida and Stanford have each registered three top-10 victories apiece. UF has a complete roster, complete with Kennedy Martin and libero Elli McKissock, who has dug in the double digits in eight of 10 UF matches this season; but the injury of star setter Alexis Stucky might set the Gators back as they get deeper into conference play. The Cardinal's only two losses this season have been against top-5 teams.
Louisville slightly slid down the AVCA poll last week after its five-set loss to Stanford, but holds its top-5 spot in the committee's first ranking with an otherwise unblemished record. Clocking into the 2023 preseason AVCA poll at No. 21, Washington State has made its way to the Committee's top-10 with dubs over top programs like Texas, Louisville and BYU.
Oregon (11-1), BYU (13-1) and Texas (7-3) round out the next three, followed by a 5-4 Minnesota, boosted by its strength of schedule. Equipped with one of the best blockers in the nation in Phoebe Awoleye, who maintains a lofty 1.47 B/S, Minnesota has held its opponents below a .200 hitting percentage despite its four ranked losses.
*The reveal is based on the criteria used to select and seed the 64 teams for the volleyball championship and includes strength of schedule, Rating Percentage Index, head-to-head competition, results versus common opponents, significant wins and losses and locations of contests. Input is also provided by the regional advisory committees for consideration by the Division I Women’s Volleyball Committee.*
Sunday's reveal was one of two in-season rankings scheduled for this year. The next top 10 will be announced during an Oct. 29 match between Washington and Oregon on ESPN2.
🍿 Upcoming matches to watch of impact:
- Minnesota vs. Nebraska | Sunday, Sep. 24 | 7:30 p.m. ET (Big Ten Network)
- Texas vs. BYU | Thursday, Sep. 28 | 9 p.m. ET (FS1)
- Texas vs. BYU | Friday, Sep. 29 | 8 p.m. ET (Longhorn Network)
- Washington State vs. Stanford | Sunday, Oct. 8 | 3 p.m. ET (PAC-12 Network)
- Nebraska vs. Wisconsin | Saturday, Oct. 21 | 8 p.m. ET (BTN)
- Oregon vs. Stanford | Sunday, Oct. 22 | 3 p.m. ET (ESPN2)
- Minnesota vs. Wisconsin | Sunday, Oct. 29 | 3:45 p.m. ET (FOX)
🗓️ Notable dates:
- Sunday, Oct. 29: Second NCAA Committee top-10 reveal of 2023, during Washington-Oregon match
- 3 p.m. ET | ESPN2
- Sunday, Nov. 26: Official tournament bracket announced
- 6 p.m. ET | ESPNU
- Thursday, Dec. 14: NCAA semifinals
- First semifinal @ 7 p.m. ET, second semifinal 30 mins after | ESPN
- Sunday, Dec. 17: 2023 DI Women's Volleyball National Championship
- 3 p.m. ET | ABC
