Wisconsin continues its climb in latest women’s volleyball Power 10 rankings

Week 9’s Power 10 rankings are in. Here’s what you need to know.

1. Pitt (Prev. 1)

Pitt stays up top at No. 1 after picking up another top-5 win, this time over ACC rival Louisville. It was one of the best volleyball matches I think I’ve ever seen. Bre Kelley was phenomenal with 12 kills and 10 blocks, and Olivia Babcock had 22 kills. This was the Panthers’ first five-set win, so we saw they can go the distance.

2. Nebraska (Prev. 2)

Nebraska stays at No. 2. I don’t think there are any arguments here about the top two teams. But I could not be more excited about Nebraska vs. Wisconsin this Friday. This is always one of the best matchups all season.

3. Penn State (Prev. 3)

Penn State holds at No. 3, after an impressive showing vs. USC on the road. Izzy Starck just continues her insane freshman campaign; she had seven kills on top of 43 assists against the Trojans in a four-set win.

4. Louisville (Prev. 4)

Louisville stays at No. 4. I’m not penalizing the Cardinals for their five-set loss against Pitt. That was on the road, is a part of a chippy rivalry and they competed every single point. Anna DeBeer balled out. Plus, they then went on the road and took down SMU in four sets.

5. Stanford (Prev. 5) & 6. Creighton (Prev. 6)

Stanford stays put at No. 5 after two sweeps over Cal. Same with Creighton at No. 6 — the Bluejays added two more sweeps to their resume.

No. 7 Wisconsin (Prev. 9)

Wisconsin takes a jump to No. 7 after a statement sweep over Purdue in Mackey Arena in front of 15,000 Purdue fans. I watched in person, and i was so impressed by Wisconsin. It was a pretty dominant performance at the net with 15 blocks. Charlie Fuerbringer went on an 11-0 run at the service line, and the offense executed well. I think this Badgers team is finally getting to where they want to be, just in time to face Nebraska this week.

8. Kansas (Prev. 8)

Kansas is at No. 8. The Jayhawks notched a ranked win over Utah in straight sets.

9. Texas (Prev. 7)

Texas moves down two spots after getting upset by SEC rival Texas A&M in five. The Longhorns fell short, 18-16, in that final set.

No. 10 SMU (Prev. 10)

SMU hangs on to the No. 10 spot despite a loss to Louisville. It was the Mustangs’ third loss in six matches — with a win over then-undefeated No. 1 Pitt sandwiched in between — but until I feel someone on the outside, like Oregon, has…