Nebraska Tops AVCA-Taraflex Poll for Fifth Straight Week; Creighton Drops Out After 83 Consecutive Appearances

Nebraska remained the No. 1 crew in Division I girls’s volleyball for the fifth consecutive week within the September 28 AVCA-Taraflex Coaches Poll, whereas unbeaten Pittsburgh continued to slender the hole at No. 2 because the opening weekend of convention play produced important motion all through the rankings.

The Cornhuskers acquired 44 of 63 doable first-place votes — down from 48 the earlier week — to complete 1,556 factors, their 13-0 document intact after sweeping Rutgers and Ohio State of their Big Ten convention opener. Nebraska held Ohio State to a minus-.010 hitting share within the closing match of that stretch. Pittsburgh, 12-0 after defeating Stanford on Sunday, collected 19 first-place votes for 1,531 factors, slicing the hole between the highest two from 33 to 25 factors in every week.

All 63 first-place votes went to Nebraska or Pittsburgh. Kentucky held third at 1,441 factors (10-2), Louisville remained fourth at 12-2 and SMU fifth at 10-2.

Three groups within the ballot stay undefeated: Nebraska, Pittsburgh and Washington, which entered the rankings for the primary time since October 2024 at No. 22 with an 11-0 document. The Huskies returned after going 2-0 on the highway for the primary time since becoming a member of the Big Ten in 2024, defeating beforehand unbeaten Michigan State and Michigan. No. 22 is Washington’s highest rating since November 14, 2022. Utah additionally entered the ballot for the primary time this season, debuting at No. 23.

Creighton dropped from No. 25 to outdoors the rankings, ending a streak of 83 consecutive ballot appearances courting to September 6, 2021, when the Bluejays first entered at No. 19. Southern California additionally fell out after sitting twenty third the earlier week.

Conference opening weekend drove the heaviest motion of the ballot. Kentucky swept Texas 3-0 on Sunday to remain at No. 3, a end result that pushed the Longhorns down one spot to No. 8 regardless of a 3-2 highway win at Tennessee the day earlier than, when Torrey Stafford recorded 28 kills and 12 digs for Texas. The match drew 9,226 to Thompson-Boling Arena — a Tennessee dwelling attendance document. Tennessee rose two spots to No. 11 after the five-set contest.

Three Big 12 groups fell after dropping their convention openers: Arizona State dropped from No. 9 to No. 12, Baylor fell from No. 17 to No. 21, and Colorado slid from No. 21 to No. 24. Minnesota dropped 5 locations to No. 20 following a 3-1 loss to Oregon, and Penn State fell from No. 14 to No. 16 after a 3-1 defeat to Michigan State.

Oregon climbed three spots to No. 17, TCU rose two to No. 9, Florida moved up one to No. 7, Indiana jumped three to No. 15, and Texas A&M moved up two to No. 14, extending their run to 23 consecutive weeks ranked.

The subsequent AVCA-Taraflex Division I Women’s Volleyball Poll is scheduled for October 5.

AVCA-Taraflex Division I Women’s Volleyball Poll — September 28, 2026 (Week 5)

1. Nebraska, 1,556 pts (44 first-place votes), 13-0, was 1
2. Pittsburgh, 1,531 pts (19), 12-0, was 2
3. Kentucky, 1,441 pts, 10-2, was 3
4. Louisville, 1,367 pts, 12-2, was 4
5. SMU, 1,316 pts, 10-2, was 5
6. Wisconsin, 1,252 pts, 8-4, was 6
7. Florida, 1,159 pts, 10-1, was 8
8. Texas, 1,102 pts, 5-5, was 7
9. TCU, 1,054 pts, 11-2, was 11
10. Purdue, 988 pts, 8-3, was 10
11. Tennessee, 889 pts, 9-2, was 13
12. Arizona State, 832 pts, 10-3, was 9
13. Stanford, 747 pts, 7-5, was 12
14. Texas A&M, 718 pts, 8-5, was 16
15. Indiana, 618 pts, 9-2, was 18
16. Penn State, 581 pts, 9-3, was 14
17. Oregon, 548 pts, 10-2, was 20
18. BYU, 478 pts, 9-1, was 22
19. Kansas, 455 pts, 9-3, was 19
20. Minnesota, 317 pts, 6-4, was 15
21. Baylor, 273 pts, 8-4, was 17
22. Washington, 228 pts, 11-0, was RV
23. Utah, 178 pts, 10-3, was NR
24. Colorado, 169 pts, 10-2, was 21
25. North Carolina, 165 pts, 7-3, was 24

Others receiving votes: Michigan State 139; Illinois 89; Southern California 57; Georgia Tech 54; Creighton 51; UCLA 47; Kansas State 26; Vanderbilt 15; Ball State 9; Colorado State 7; Georgia 6. Five groups on one poll solely, 13 factors complete.

Dropped out: Southern California (was No. 23), Creighton (was No. 25).

Next ballot: October 5, 2026.