Alright, let’s do it, my Week 7 college volleyball Power 10 rankings:
1. Pitt (Prev. 1)
I have Pitt staying at No. 1, despite notching its first loss on the season to SMU. The same SMU that swept Nebraska. The Panthers played them twice in one week, sweeping them at home before losing in five sets on the road.
The reality is that SMU is a legit team, and I couldn’t justify putting Nebraska ahead when the same group swept them. Pitt now has just one loss but is still dominant and deserving of No. 1.
2. Nebraska (Prev. 2)
Nebraska remains at No. 2, the Huskers prevailed in five sets over then-No. 10 Purdue. It was one of the best volleyball games I’ve seen all season. Nebraska battled to that win despite being outhit all match, and Merritt Beason posted 22 kills as Bergen Reilly led the offense with 60 assists and 17 digs.
Finishing the week 2-0 at home! ✅✅
Huskers take down the Scarlet Knights in straight sets to remain undefeated in B1G play.
Husker Highlights | @DriveToyota pic.twitter.com/ZQmRakVTLm
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB) October 13, 2024
3. Penn State (Prev. 3)
PSU remains in the top 3 as well. Two wins over Michigan State and Indiana made this an easy choice.
4. Louisville (Prev. 4)
Louisville hangs on to its No. 4 ranking after surviving a five-set battle against Florida State. Anna DeBeer racked up 23 kills in the win, and they notched another top-25 win over Miami on the weekend.
5. Stanford (Prev. 5)
Stanford stays put as well, but they have a tough week up ahead — SMU on Wednesday and Pitt on Sunday. Both will be on the road.
6. Creighton (Prev. 6)
Creighton stays at No. 6 with two sweeps as they make their way through the Big East.
7. Texas (Prev. 8)
And finally some movement, I moved Texas up to a spot after another ranked sweep over Kentucky. Reagan Rutherford led the way in her return to Kentucky with 10 kills hitting over .430. The Longhorns have now swept two ranked SEC foes in their first season in the conference.
8. Kansas (Prev. 7)
Kansas is at 8 — they still have just one loss on the year and notched two sweeps last week.
9. SMU (Prev. NR)
And let’s give a big welcome to SMU to the Power 10 at No. 9. I mean come on, this team deserves it. If you haven’t seen the Mustangs play, get familiar. They have now taken down the top two teams in the country, Pitt and Nebraska. They have also beaten Baylor and Georgia Tech this season.
Kept It Going! #NCAAWVB x 📺 ACCNX /@SMUVolleyball pic.twitter.com/7kc3snwb2M
— NCAA Women’s Volleyball (@NCAAVolleyball) October 12, 2024
This team has a great setter in Celia Cullen, two really dominant middles with Nnedi Okammor and Natalie Foster, and Naya Shime leads the offense from the right side with over four points per set this season. The Mustangs have played a tough schedule and are now making their way through the ACC. Watch out for this team. They have Stanford this week.
10. Purdue (Prev. 9)
And finally, with moving SMU in I unfortunately had to move someone out. I wish I could have a tie between Wisconsin and Purdue for the No. 10 spot, but I did not want to punish Purdue for a five-set loss at Nebraska that could have been the other way around. They played one heck of a game and if not for 19 service errors it likely would have been a different outcome. Ultimately, I kept Purdue one spot above Wisconsin because of slightly better-ranked wins.
Wisconsin and Oregon are my first two teams out.