Category: Volleyball

Florida volleyball drops in AVCA/TARAFLEX rankings after Week 5

The Gators remain in the AVCA/TARAFLEX top-20 after splitting their matches last week.

Florida volleyball slipped three spots in the latest AVCA/TARAFLEX rankings after splitting a pair of matches in Week 5 of fall competition, dropping from No. 15 to No. 18.

The Gators beat the Oklahoma Sooners in five sets (25-21,19-25, 18-25, 25-18, 15-13) on the road Thursday to tally their 34th-consecutive Southeastern Conference opener win. However, on Sunday the Orange and Blue was defeated by the 12th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats inside the O’Connell Center (19-25, 20-25, 25-20, 28-30) to even the week’s tally.

Of their remaining 15 regular-season matches, Florida will face four opponents who are either ranked or receiving votes in the current poll, including a home matchup against seventh-ranked Texas Longhorns this Sunday.

That match is set to start at 1 p.m. in Gainesville and will be broadcast on ESPN.

AVCA/TARAFLEX Division I WVB Poll

Rank School (1st Place Votes) Points Previous
Rank		 Previous
Rank
1 Pittsburgh [61] 1,525 12-0 1
2 Nebraska 1,458 12-1 2
3 Penn State 1,382 12-1 4
4 Louisville 1,347 10-2 5
5 Stanford 1,262 9-2 3
6 Creighton 1,217 11-2 6
7 Texas 1,130 7-3 8
8 Kansas 1,061 11-1 9
9 Wisconsin 1,012 7-4 7
10 Purdue 982 10-3 10
11 Oregon 946 10-1 11
12 Minnesota 773 8-4 16
13 Kentucky 711 7-6 12
14 Baylor 602 10-3 19
15 Arizona State 557 12-2 14
16 Florida State 530 10-2 18
17 SMU 523 10-3 23
18 Florida 516 10-3 15
19 Georgia Tech 486 8-3 13
20 BYU 441 9-3 17
21 USC 340 9-3 20
22 TCU 262 9-3 22
23 Dayton 199 12-1 24
24 Auburn 175 12-1 NR
25 Washington 154 12-0 NR

Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots: Tennessee 98; Miami (FL) 39; Arkansas 33; Marquette 29; Utah 20; UCLA 2

Dropped Out: Tennessee 20, Miami (FL) 25

* 5 teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 11 combined points

UF 2024 Week-By-Week Rankings

Week AVCA Ranking
Aug. 19 No. 11
Sept. 2 No. 10
Sept. 9 No. 13
Sept. 16 No. 16
Sept. 23 No. 15
Sept. 30 No. 18

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Florida volleyball opens SEC play with win at Oklahoma Sooners

The Gators outlasted the Sooners with a fifth-set rally on Friday night.

The 15th-ranked Florida volleyball team opened its 2024 Southeastern Conference schedule against the Oklahoma Sooners in Norman and escaped with a dramatic 3-2 win on Friday night.

The Gators rallied back from a six-point deficit in the fifth set to give the home team a loss in its first-ever match as a member of the SEC. The overall scoreline from the league matchup inside McCasland Field House was 25-21, 19-25, 18-25, 25-18, 15-13.

Offensively, a trio of Gators finished with double-digit kills, led by All-American Kennedy Martin with 18, followed by AC Fitzpatrick (17) and Isabel Martin (13). All-American setter Alexis Stucky served up 44 assists in her second full match back while Taylor Parks added five and Elli McKissock chipped in four.

Defensively, Florida amassed eight team blocks, with Jaela Auguste recording six block assists to lead the way for the seventh time this season. Stucky had four and Alec Rothe (2), K. Martin (2), Fitzpatrick (1) and Isi Martin (1) combined for six block assists.

Elli McKissock served as the backcourt captain and accounted for 13 of Florida’s 35 digs, with Emily Canaan adding eight in the five-setter spot. Behind the service line, UF dropped 12 aces behind Stucky’s season-high four; McKisscok (3), K. Martin (two), Canaan (1), Emerson Hoyle (1) and Parks (1) all recorded at least one each as well.

The Orange and Blue are now 10-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play this fall. The Sooners, on the other hand, are now 6-3 and 0-1 in their first year of SEC competition.

Up Next for Florida

The Gators welcome the 12th-ranked Kentucky Wildcats to Gainesville on Sunday, Sept. 29, for their SEC home opener. The conference battle is set for 1 p.m. ET inside the O’Connell Center and can be watched on ESPN and heard on 98.1FM/850AM.

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Nebraska volleyball announces John Cook bobblehead giveaway vs. UCLA

John Cook is celebrating his 25th season on the bench.

Nebraska volleyball will give away a Coach John Cook bobblehead to every fan at Friday’s match against UCLA. This was announced on the official Nebraska Volleyball X account.

Nebraska will come into this game as the second-ranked team in the country. They are coming off a 3-0 win over No. 4 Louisville on Sunday, and they continue to roll. They have not lost a match since September 3 at SMU.

This will be Cook’s 25th season on the bench for the Nebraska volleyball program. He has led the program through unprecedented success, and he and his team are looking to defend their Big Ten title this season.

The match will occur at 7:00 p.m. CT, and the Huskers will look to win their eighth match in a row. UCLA comes into Friday’s matchup at 6-3 and is coming off a big win against in-state rival California.

https://twitter.com/HuskerVB/status/1839341886215188888?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet

 

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Nebraska volleyball sets new TV viewership record

The Nebraska women’s volleyball team has set another record.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers and Louisville Cardinals women’s volleyball programs set a new viewership record on ESPN/ABC on Sunday for their non-conference matchup.

On Tuesday, ESPN announced that the match was the most-watched regular season volleyball match ever on the network’s platforms. It averaged 684,000 viewers and peaked at 808,000 viewers.

Making the viewership record even more impressive is that the match went up against week three of the NFL schedule.

In the match attended by 14,000 at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, the Huskers cleanly swept the Cardinals 3-0 (25-16, 25-17, 25-20). Harper Murray led the Huskers with 11 kills. The Huskers had seven total aces in the match

Now at 10-1 on the season, the Huskers will begin Big Ten play on Friday by welcoming the UCLA Bruins to the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The Bruins enter this weekend with a 6-3 overall record but have struggled in true away matches with a 2-3 record.

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Four Nebraska Women’s Volleyball standouts named to AVCA Wwatch List

Four Huskers are included on the initial AVCA Player of the Year Award watchlist

The Nebraska Women’s Volleyball team is off to a fantastic start this fall with a 9-1 record, including an 8-0 record at home. On Friday, the American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA) recognized four Huskers. 

The AVCA released their watch list for the 2024 Division I Player of the Year, which included 36 players nationwide, including Nebraska standouts Merritt Beason, Harper Murray, Bergen Reilly, and Lexi Rodriguez. 

Nebraska led the way nationally with four players included, while Pittsburgh, the nation’s top-ranked program, and Wisconsin both had three selections. 

Being in the spotlight is nothing new for the Huskers quartet of selections, as each has earned All-Conference and All-American honors. 

Just a sophomore, Murray was the Big Ten Freshman of the Year last season, earning All-Big Ten First Team and third-team All-American honors.

Fellow sophomore Bergen Reilly was the Big Ten’s Setter of the Year, the first freshman to earn the award. She was also a first-team All-Big Ten selection and a second-team All-American. 

Seniors Merrit Beason and Lexi Rodriguez were both first-team All-Americans as well. 

The winner of the AVCA Player of the Year Award will be announced on Friday, December 20. Last year, Sarah Franklin of the University of Wisconsin earned the honor.

The Huskers will look for their first AVCA Player of the Year Award winner since 2006 when Sarah Pavan took home the honor. Allison Weston (1995), Greichaly Cepero (2000), and Christina Houghtelling (2005) are the only other former Huskers to win the award. 

Nebraska returns to action on Saturday as they take on the Louisville Cardinals in Louisville at the KFC Yum! Center. 

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Nebraska’s Bergen Reilly named Big Ten Setter of the Week

This is the second time she’s won the award this season and the sixth of her career. 

Nebraska sophomore setter Bergen Reilly was named Big Ten Setter of the Week earlier this week. This is the second time she’s won the award this season and the sixth of her career.

Reilly averaged 12.18 assists per set, 3.45 digs per set, and helped her team to a .315 team-hitting percentage. The Huskers finished the week with a record of 3-0 and a pair of top-15 wins.

She is averaging 11.48 assists per set on the season, good enough for third in the country. The Sioux Falls, S.D. native had a career-high 58 assists with 13 digs in a 3-2 win over No. 9 Creighton. She also had double-doubles of 41 assists and 15 digs against No. 14 Arizona State and 35 assists and 10 digs against Wichita State.

Nebraska is 8-1 on the season and will play again on Wednesday night when it hosts No. 2 Stanford at the Bob Devaney Sports Center. The game will start at 7:00 p.m. CT and be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.

https://twitter.com/HuskerVB/status/1835762921676157003

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Florida falls again in AVCA/TARAFLEX rankings after Week 3

Florida split its two matches last week, causing the Gators to tumble down to No. 16 in the Week 3 rankings.

The latest AVCA/TARAFLEX rankings for women’s college volleyball were released on Monday and the Florida Gators saw their stock drop for the second straight week — this time from No. 13 to No. 16.

The Orange and Blue split a pair of matches this past week in Atlanta, Georgia, where it fell 3-0 to the then No. 15 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Friday before bouncing back the next day against the Alabama State Jaguars. Mary Wise’s team is now 6-2 this season with three home matches slated during Week 3 of play.

Florida will welcome the No. 18 Florida State Seminoles to the O’Connell Center on Tuesday, Sept. 17, before hosting the North Texas Mean Green on Friday, Sept. 20, and the Buffalo Bulls on Sunday, Sept. 21.

AVCA/TARAFLEX Division I WVB Poll

Rank School (1st Place Votes) Points Previous
Rank
1 Pittsburgh (33) 1,495 1
2 Stanford (24) 1,476 2
3 Penn State (3) 1,390 3
4 Louisville 1,311 4
5 Nebraska (1) 1,290 5
6 Purdue 1,194 7
7 Wisconsin 1,090 8
8 Texas 1,086 6
9 Creighton 1,032 9
10 Kansas 929 11
11 Kentucky 925 10
12 Oregon 880 12
13 Georgia Tech 756 15
14 Arizona State 637 14
15 Tennessee 620 16
16 Florida 529 13
17 Minnesota 523 19
18 Florida State 412 21
19 BYU 355 17
20 Baylor 346 18
21 USC 301 23
22 SMU 287 NR
23 TCU 260 25
24 Dayton 154 24
25 Arkansas 144 22

Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots: Marquette 77; Washington 73; Auburn 69; Miami (FL) 66; UCLA 50; Arkansas State 22; Georgia 14; Houston 7; Hawai’i 5; San Diego 5; Wright State 2

Dropped out: Miami (FL)

* 4 teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 11 combined points.

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Wisconsin volleyball dominates in-state foe, secures third straight win

Wisconsin volleyball dominates in-state foe, secures third straight win

The Wisconsin Badgers volleyball team picked up its third straight victory against in-state rival UW-Milwaukee on Tuesday.

Fueled by a balanced offensive attack, the Badgers dominated the Panthers in three consecutive sets, 25-13, 25-13, 25-14, to win their first game of the season at the storied UW Field House. The win catapults Kelly Sheffield’s squad to 3-3 to start the 2024 campaign.

Senior outside hitter Julia Orzol led the way with 14 kills, four blocks and two aces. Fifth-year middle blocker Devyn Robinson followed with 13 kills and four blocks while veteran C.C. Crawford tallied seven kills and blocks.

Freshman Charlie Fuerbringer also registered a team-best 35 assists and 10 digs to secure a double-double in front of a raucous home crowd.

While the competition is nowhere near what UW will encounter in the NCAA Tournament this spring, the Badgers did look like the dominant team fans grew accustomed to witnessing during its 30-4 campaign in 2023.

After losing its first three contests against No. 4 Louisville, No. 6 Texas and No. 2 Stanford, Wisconsin trounced TCU, No. 23 Baylor prior to defeating UW-Milwaukee in Madison. The platoon recently earned the No. 8 spot in the AVCA Rankings and will look to scale the hierarchy with a match against another in-state rival, Marquette, awaiting on Sept. 17 at the Kohl Center.

Florida volleyball slips in AVCA/TARAFLEX Poll after Week 2

The Gators lost a little ground in the rankings but are still among the top 15 schools in the nation on the volleyball court.

The Florida volleyball team put together a 2-1 record this weekend but it was not enough to remain in the AVCA/TARAFLEX rankings’ top 10 after two weeks of play.

The Gators prevailed over Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles and Ohio State Buckeyes with ease in the final two games of the Florida Invitational inside the O’Connell Center. However, the South Florida Bulls — who earned votes in this week’s poll — outmuscled Florida on Friday night to give the Orange and Blue its first defeat of 2024.

Subsequently, the Gators slipped from 10th overall in last week’s rankings to 13th, sitting between the 12th-ranked Oregon Ducks and 14th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils.

AVCA/TARAFLEX Division I WVB Poll

Rank School (1st Place Votes) Points Previous
Rank
1 Pittsburgh (29) 1,471 3
2 Stanford (23) 1,462 5
3 Penn State (6) 1,389 7
4 Louisville (1) 1,284 4
5 Nebraska (2) 1,277 2
6 Texas 1,168 1
7 Purdue 1,118 8
8 Wisconsin 1,087 6
9 Creighton 1,042 11
10 Kentucky 945 9
11 Kansas 898 13
12 Oregon 836 12
13 Florida 632 10
14 Arizona State 603 16
15 Georgia Tech 575 19
16 Tennessee 500 17
17 BYU 488 14
18 Baylor 465 23
19 Minnesota 433 18
20 Miami 393 NR
21 Florida State 344 15
22 Arkansas 303 21
23 Southern California 295 20
24 Dayton 221 22
25 TCU 165 NR

Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots: SMU 132; Auburn 85; UCLA 74; Marquette 39; Washington 22; Georgia 20; South Florida 18; Western Kentucky 3.

Dropped Out: Marquette (24), UCLA (25)

* 9 teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 38 combined points

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Wisconsin volleyball dips once more in AVCA Ranking after back-to-back wins

Wisconsin volleyball dips once more in AVCA Ranking after back-to-back wins

Despite winning back-to-back contests, Wisconsin volleyball slid to No. 8 on the latest edition of the AVCA Rankings.

Wisconsin, who entered the 2024 slate with the No. 3 in the 2024 Preseason American Volleyball Coaches Association hierarchy, most recently dipped to No. 6 in the national polls after dropping its first three bouts to No. 4 Louisville, No. 6 Texas and No. 2 Stanford.

UW has bounced back during the past week, however, with victories over Texas Christian University and Baylor during the Big Ten/Big 12 Challenge.

Wisconsin now owns a 2-3 record to begin the season. The Kelly Sheffield-led team compiled a remarkable 30-4 overall record in 2023, which likely prompted voters to keep this year’s squad inside the top 10.

The 3-0 Pittsburgh Panthers now own the top spot in this week’s rankings, followed by Stanford, Penn State, Louisville and Nebraska respectively

Wisconsin superstar Sarah Franklin still holds the lead for kills among all Badgers with 100, followed by co-captain Devyn Robinson with 61. Freshman Charlie Fuerbringer has totaled 218 assists through five games, 209 more than any other Badger.

UW’s most notable matches are slated against #24 Marquette on Sept. 17, #18 Minnesota on Sept. 25, #12 Oregon on Oct. 18 and #8 Purdue on Oct. 26. Any wins outside the top-25 will likely keep Wisconsin within the same tier of the AVCA’s pecking order come next week.