NCAA volleyball Power Rankings: Texas and Pitt achieve strong victories

Women’s College Volleyball Updates

This past week was quite successful for several women’s college volleyball teams.

For instance, North Carolina stayed undefeated and marked a significant win by sweeping aside Florida.

However, Texas has perhaps been the standout, notching victories against top 10 teams Stanford and Louisville. In a thrilling match in Austin, watched by a record crowd of around 11,000, the Longhorns battled the Cardinal in five intense sets. One player, with a standout performance, contributed five kills in those crucial moments.

Texas then faced Louisville in Fort Worth, once again winning in five hard-fought sets, led by Stafford, who achieved her fourth double-double of the season with 20 kills and 18 digs, along with three aces. Freshman Abby Vander Wal and Kari Spears also shone, recording 16 and 14 kills respectively.

This achievement marks the third time under coach Jerrit Elliott that a Texas team has defeated four ranked opponents in their initial five matches. They previously secured the national title in 2022 during a similar run. Still, the road ahead is challenging with matches against Arizona and TCU approaching.

Meanwhile, the Nebraska Cornhuskers maintained their top ranking despite a strong push from Texas. They effortlessly defeated both Wright State and Cal, with Harper Murray leading with a combined 25 kills. Nebraska will face tougher competition this week against Utah, Grand Canyon, and Clayton.

Pitt also made waves by decisively beating Kentucky on Wednesday, a notable victory. Olivia Babcock contributed 15 kills and Brooke Mosher added 39 assists along with 13 digs. The Panthers had beaten Pepperdine and Jacksonville over the weekend, making the loss against Pitt a bit of a letdown for Kentucky, especially after their recent win against Pennsylvania.

In the case of Penn State, sophomore Izzy Stark, recognized as the National Freshman of the Year, announced she would step away from volleyball for this season to focus on her mental health. Although not listed on the Pennsylvania roster, sources indicated she isn’t in the transfer portal.

Texas A&M faced unfortunate circumstances as they lost two consecutive games against in-state opponents. SMU handed them a defeat in Dallas, followed by TCU’s win in five sets at Fort Worth.

Notably, TCU set a program record with the most wins over ranked teams in a single season, led by freshman Samara Coleman, who achieved a career-high with 19 kills. Their season is off to a promising start at 5-1.