Wisconsin re-enters Power 10 college volleyball rankings ahead of Week 8

Week 7 is in the books and three matchups had the most implications on my Power 10. Ohio State defeated Penn State in a five-set thriller after almost taking them down in three, Wisconsin defeated Purdue and Pittsburgh took down a ranked Georgia Tech team. 

Here is the latest top 10 (with last week’s rankings in parentheses):

1. Texas (1)

The Longhorns have been my No. 1 team all season and just moved to 12-0. The toughest part of their schedule (non-conference) is behind them, but they do have a tough matchup coming up with Baylor this week when the two teams face off in Waco. Baylor has taken a dip in the rankings this season after losing most of its core from last year, but still has some serious potential. They did take down Wisconsin in five earlier this season, so watch out for this matchup. 

2. Louisville (2)

Same thing with Louisville — they have been locked in as my No. 2 team for a while. The Cardinals have a great matchup coming up against Pittsburgh on Oct. 21. 

3. Nebraska (3)

The Huskers are in the thick of their Big Ten schedule, so there will tough matchups all the time. I look forward the most to the matchup against Penn State this weekend and Purdue the following weekend. I have waited to see the Huskers face off against top-tier competition this season after watching the five-set battle with Ohio State.

4. San Diego (4)

The Toreros remain at No. 4 as well, and the matchup to watch out for will be against BYU on Oct. 21. I’ve been impressed by this team all season and I am excited to see another tough matchup for them. I just recently put the USD setter Gabby Blossom on my list for best players at every position — as she has helped transform and elevate this team into a top-five squad. 

5. Stanford (6)

The Cardinal are back up at No. 5 for me after Purdue dropped this week. Stanford is now 9-4, and the main ranked wins I look at are over Florida, Minnesota, Nebraska, Washington. That to me superseded the ones below, and I like how this team is looking at this point. The quality of their wins are the most impressive to me, and all of their losses are good. I value this over a team that has less losses but less ranked wins. 

6. Ohio State (8)

Same thing here with the Buckeyes. Ohio State is 9-5 now with the same amount of ranked wins as Stanford but one more loss. These are great wins over Louisville, BYU, Georgia Tech and Penn State… I am looking at the teams they beat…