Texas, Wisconsin and Georgia Tech all suffered surprising losses during Week 11 of college volleyball, which was reflected in this week's rankings. Here is Michella Chester's much shuffled — Week 12 Power 10:
1. Nebraska (1)
No surprises here. The Huskers staved off Illinois and Michigan in Lincoln this past week, giving up one set per match. Nebraska's still the only undefeated team in the country, showing off an impressive 25-0 run, which is their best start since their 28-0 season in 2005. They've got Michigan and Iowa on the docket next before their Nov. 24 matchup against Wisconsin. Michigan will be a bother at the service line, as the Wolverines lead the Big Ten with 1.84 aces/set. As for Iowa, backcourt defense is its strength as the Hawkeyes rank second in the conference in D/S with 14.41. Nebraska's practically a lock as a No. 1 seed in this year's tournament, and if the Huskers can navigate the next four matches without a loss, this team's run will be a program best — a massive storyline to follow heading into December.
2. Stanford (3)
Move over Wisconsin, it's Stanford's turn. Although the Cardinal's spot at No. 2 is arguable, Wisconsin's loss to Penn State caused Stanford — who tacked on a top-10 win against Oregon — to leapfrog the Badgers in this week's rankings. Stanford's core is stronger than ever; middles Sami Francis and McKenna Vicini played lights out in both contests this week, cumulatively accounting for 11 blocks against Oregon and 14 against Oregon State. And don't forget about Caitie Baird; she killed 51 against the Ducks, which is the second-best performance of her five-year career. Setter Kami Miner remains head-and-shoulders above her competition, averaging 11.42 assists per set, which helps Stanford consistently rank top-three in assists/set nationally. A complete roster that's knocked down six top-10 squads — Stanford's looking pretty pristine heading into the final weeks of the regular season.
.@mlvicini & @caitiebaird_ send it 🔙!#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/oe84GBWvj6
— Stanford Women's Volleyball (@StanfordWVB) November 10, 2023
3. Wisconsin (2)
The Badgers slide from the coveted No. 2 slot after suffering a four-set upset at the jaws of the Penn State Nittany Lions. Some switches had to be made after Anna Smrek's absence left Julia Orzol to play outside, and Wisconsin routinely won the first set, 25-23, before dropping the final three. The Badgers hit under their season average of .310 with a .176 clip, and were out-performed by the Nittany Lions in every statistical category except the block, tallying 11 to Penn State's 9. But don't discount Penn State — it pushed Nebraska to five sets just two weeks ago and has proven to be a formidable opponent with five ranked wins, despite not being as dominant as it normally is. Wisconsin will need to buckle down to tackle ranked Purdue this Friday and Indiana this Sunday.
4. Louisville (6)
The Cards sneak back up the ladder with both Oregon and Texas taking losses this week. But they won't get comfortable here. Left on Louisville's slate is Pittsburgh and Georgia Tech. The Cardinals swept Pitt the first go around, but lost to Georgia Tech — which is confusing, as Pitt just swept Georgia Tech this week. The ACC frenzy will be settled late this season, with an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament on the line.
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5. Oregon (4)
Two five-setters, two different outcomes for the Ducks this week. Oregon fell to the Stanford Cardinal, as the Ducks hit .180 and racked up 15 service errors. They turned it around against Cal, particularly on the defensive front, tallying a season-high 32 BAs and 16 total blocks for a 3-2 victory. That's enough to stay in the five slot, but Oregon must keep that momentum going against a daunting Arizona State squad on Friday.
6. Pitt (9)
As previously stated, the top ACC teams have a bottom-heavy schedule, and that rings true for the Panthers, too. On the road against a top-10 Georgia Tech team, Pitt made a massive statement, hitting .440 while holding the Yellow Jackets to a .057 clip. They had 5 aces, led by Olivia Babcock, who went off on the right side with 15 kills and hitting over .650 with two aces. The Panthers escaped Georgia Tech and Miami this past week and still have Louisville, Syracuse and another round against Miami to come.
7. Texas (5)
Cleared for takeoff 🛫🛫🛫@MadiSkinnerr | #HookEm pic.twitter.com/4ITv0JolDi
— Texas Volleyball (@TexasVolleyball) November 13, 2023
The Longhorns suffered their first conference loss on Wednesday, getting swept by unranked Kansas State. The rest of Texas' schedule doesn't present ranked challengers, yet the Longhorns have exposed weakness as of late — this was the first time they've lost to K-State in 39 matchups. A three-setter versus Cincinnati got Texas back on track on Saturday, as it hit a season-high .476 for the win.
8. Georgia Tech (8)
Georgia Tech remains put, even after getting dismantled on their own court by Pitt, 0-3. If the Yellow Jackets fall to Miami again next week, they'll likely kiss their spot in these rankings goodbye. But, their four ranked wins will carry them for now.
9. Washington State (7)
The Cougs continue their steady descent from the leaderboard as they've lost five of their last eight matchups. A hard-fought 3-2 dub over Southern California helped Wazzu end the weekend on a high note, as it avenged their previous loss to the Trojans in October — which was the start of the Cougs' losing streak. Wazzu was the Pac-12 dark horse, and now is completely vulnerable with four more teams on the horizon.
10. Kentucky (NR)
This might come as a surprise to some, but Kentucky takes the final spot over Tennessee. You might say the Wildcats have way too many losses to be in here, but those were all in the first half of the season. Lately? They are on a 12-0 win streak and they are dominating everyone in the SEC. They just swept Auburn and Georgia last week, beat Florida, Arkansas and swept Tennessee lately. Thus, Tennessee is the first team out.
