Arkansas in, Louisville back in top-5 of Week 8 volleyball Power 10

Week 7 of college volleyball saw some ranked sweeps, which shook up this week’s Power 10. See who landed in Michella Chester’s Week 8 power rankings ahead of some of the biggest matches of the season.

1. Wisconsin (Previous: 2) | 2. Nebraska (1)

These two juggernauts have topped Michella Chester’s Power 10 for five consecutive weeks, and are arguably interchangeable. They’re the only two ranked teams with unblemished records — both 17-0 — and they’ve both only dropped 8 sets all season. In Week 7, Wisconsin swept Rutgers and Maryland even with starters MJ Hammill and Devyn Robinson benched from injuries. Setter Izzy Ashburn took care of business herself, assisting 68 balls this week with a career-high double-double against the Terps, dishing out 35 assists and 11 digs. 

As for Nebraska, it took care of Michigan State in four sets and swept Penn State on Saturday — its 10th straight-set win of the season. Against PSU, libero Lexi Rodriguez tied her season-best dig count of 18 (which had previously been set in four-set matches) and Lindsay Krause defied expectations with a 13-kill, two-ace performance. The Huskers also held the Nittany Lions to .117 hitting.

🚨 TOP-15 SWEEP 🚨

Huskers win in straight sets over No. 13 Penn State to continue the streak and advance to 17-0 on the season!

Husker Highlights | @DriveToyota pic.twitter.com/8S7WRy5OP7

— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB) October 15, 2023

Now, what we’ve all been waiting for: Wisconsin and Nebraska finally go head-to-head in their first of two matches this season on Saturday, October 21. One is destined to go down, and we’ll finally have a clear No. 1 for this season.

3. Stanford (3)

Stanford hosted two Golden State rivals this week in Maples Pavilion, sweeping Southern California and topping UCLA in four. Kami Miner is by far the best setter in the league, once again leading the nation in assists per set at 12.03 with 710 overall in 2023. The Cardinal’s 9-0 away record will be tested this week with an Oregon State match and a top-10 Oregon clash on the horizon. But Stanford is no stranger to ranked challengers; the Cardinal has posted a 4-2 record over top-10 teams and hit an average of .311 in these duels.

4. Washington State (4)

The Cougs regained traction this week after falling to Stanford in Week 6, besting Utah and Colorado in three sets…