And that’s why we don’t do our media poll until after the end of pre-conference play.
The AVCA coaches poll is great for creating interest, but in this NCAA Division I volleyball world where all the best teams play each other right from the get-go, rankings mean little so early in the season.
To wit, on Tuesday, a day after No. 18 Minnesota knocked off No. 1 Texas:
— SMU, barely receiving votes in the poll, not only beat visiting No. 2 Nebraska, the Mustangs swept the Huskers right out of a sold-out Moody Coliseum in Dallas.
— Seventh-ranked Penn State destroyed visiting No. 4 Louisville.
Third-ranked Pittsburgh, which might well be next week’s No. 1, swept Buffalo and No. 23 Baylor did the same to Rice.
And our long national nightmare is over: Saint Peters snapped its 38-match losing streak that started in 2022 with a season-opening, five-set victory at NJIT.
We have a photo gallery from Zach Schuster from the Sunday-Monday State Farm Women’s Volleyball Showcase in Milwaukee that featured Texas, Stanford, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Click on any photo to view full size.
Also in this Volleyball Today, the USA women’s sitting team swept Italy to move into the Paris Paralympics semifinals.
There are 18 NCAA Division I matches Wednesday, including Stanford finally getting…
