With help from losses by last week’s top two teams and an undefeated weekend at home at the Diet Coke Classic, the Minnesota Golden Gophers are the new AVCA No. 1 team. The Gophers were No. 3 in the Week 2 poll and now stand at 5-0, although they have yet to face another ranked team.
Also climbing the rankings and earning a spot in the Top 5 were Wisconsin, BYU and Penn State. The Badgers knocked off then-No. 2 Texas at their home HotelRed Invitational to jump from No. 8 to No. 2. The Cougars jumped from No. 9 to No. 3 after handing then No. 1 Stanford their first loss of the season on Friday and topping Wichita State on Saturday. The Nittany Lions also took advantage of the shakeup, moving up from No. 6 to No. 5 with two home victories.
Stanford remained in the Top 5 at No. 4 after salvaging the weekend with wins over Wichita State and West Virginia.
Falling out of the top group were Texas (from 2 to 6), Nebraska (from 5 to 7), Florida (from 4 to 8). Last week’s No. 7 USC fell three spots to No. 10 after a loss to unranked UCF.
New to the poll on Week 3 are Washington State and Marquette. The 4-0 Cougars check in at No. 23 after a picking up two four-set road wins at then No. 17 Northern Iowa. The Golden Eagles are 5-1 after three sweeps over Kansas State, Western Kentucky and Saint Louis.
| Rank | School (First-Place Votes) | Total Points Adjusted | 2018 Record | Previous Week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Minnesota (35) | 1538 | 5-0 | 3 |
| 2 | Wisconsin (6) | 1460 | 4-0 | 8 |
| 3 | BYU (7) | 1424 | 5-0 | 9 |
| 4 | Stanford (8) | 1414 | 4-1 | 1 |
| 5 | Penn State (4) | 1289 | 5-0 | 6 |
| 6 | Texas | 1274 | 3-1 | 2 |
| 7 | Nebraska (3) | 1257 | 4-1 | 5 |
| 8 | Florida | 1117 | 3-2 | 4 |
| 9 | UCLA | 1085 | 4-0 | 10 |
| 10 | Southern California (1) | 1076 | 5-1 | 7 |
| 11 | Illinois | 1048 | 5-0 | 11 |
| 12 | Washington | 813 | 3-1 | 13 |
| 13 | Pittsburgh | 799 | 6-0 | 14 |
| 14 | Creighton | 716 | 4-2 | 15 |
| 15 | Baylor | 604 | 4-2 | 12 |
| T-16 | Kentucky | 582 | 3-3 | 16 |
| T-16 | San Diego | 582 | 1-3 | 19 |
| 18 | Oregon | 514 | 4-2 | 18 |
| 19 | Purdue | 450 | 5-0 | 20 |
| 20 | Michigan | 310 | 5-0 | 23 |
| 21 | Utah | 299 | 5-1 | 22 |
| 22 | Cal Poly | 216 | 5-1 | 24 |
| 23 | Washington State | 202 | 4-0 | NR |
| 24 | Colorado | 192 | 3-2 | 21 |
| 25 | Marquette | 165 | 5-1 | NR |
Others receiving votes and listed on two or more ballots: Iowa State 88; Northern Iowa 68; Alabama 30; Arizona 28; Louisville 27; Cincinnati 26; Wichita State 26; Colorado State 21; Oregon State 13; UCF 12; Wyoming 12; Georgia 11; Michigan State 7
Four teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 11 combined points.
Dropped Out: Northern Iowa 17; Colorado State 25
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