Nebraska’s spooky good season keeps Cornhuskers No. 1 in latest AVCA coaches poll
Brooklyn DeLeye (Kentucky), Teraya Sigler (Nebraska), and Cari Spears (Texas) have all contributed to their team’s success.
The Nebraska women’s volleyball team is on a mission in 2025 — ghost their competitors.
And, the American Volleyball Coaches Association Division I coaches polled in week nine of this year’s Fall campaign have agreed that they are having a scary good season.
For ten weeks — including preseason — the Nebraska Cornhuskers have held onto the No. 1 spot. They have a pristine record of 20-0.
Freshman outside hitter Teraya Sigler has stood out in a sea of talent. She took the top spot in kills (9) during the team's last match against Michigan State. Her season high is 14, which she reached in the Cornhusker’s match against Grand Canyon.
Nebraska travels to No. 11 Wisconsin’s court for a spooktakular Halloween contest.
Texas, also filled with tricks and treats, is still No. 2 and undefeated at 18-0. The Longhorn’s are nipping at the Cornhuskers’ toes.
Freshman outside hitter Cari Spears is part of the reason why. She recently led the team in kills (16) during the Longhorn’s last match against Louisiana State University. Spears also holds the second-highest spot on the team in kills (228).
Texas competes against nearby foe No. 9 Texas A&M on October 31.
Kentucky, with a current record of 16-2 and a 13-match winning streak, is howling at No. 3.
Junior outside hitter Brooklyn DeLeye has continuously topped the leader board in kills for a majority of the matches. She is also holding the top spot on the team in kills (300).
Kentucky will play again on October 31 against Vanderbilt.
Coming in at No. 4 is the University of Pittsburgh with a current record of 17-3 and a five-match winning streak.
Junior right side Olivia Babcock is haunting her competitors as she has consistently tops the leaderboard. She is holding her team’s top spot in kills (380).
The Panthers will play Duke on October 31.
Finally, at No. 5 is Stanford University with a current record of 18-3 and a six-match winning streak.
Junior opposite hitter Jordyn Harvey took the top spot in kills (7) during the team's last match against Georgia Tech. Harvey is also holding the fourth-highest spot on the team in digs this season (129).
The Cardinals play North Carolina State on October 31.
The women’s volleyball polls are rankings determined by a committee of AVCA member coaches, who vote based on the teams' performance throughout the season.
Here is the week nine poll. Bolded teams have moved positions higher or lower from week-to-week.
25. Florida 12-7, Received Votes
24. Indiana 16-4, 23
23. Colorado 18-3, 24
22. Southern California 15-5, 22
21. North Carolina 16-3, 21
20. Minnesota 16-5, 20
19. Penn State 13-7, 18
18. Baylor 12-6, 19
17. BYU 17-4, 17
16. Tennessee 16-3, 16
15. Miami (FL) 17-4, 15
14. Kansas 15-8, 14
13. TCU 16-5, 10
12. Creighton 17-5, 13
11. Wisconsin 15-3, 12
10. Purdue 17-3, 11
9. Texas A&M 17-3, 9
8. Louisville 16-4, 8
7. SMU 16-4, 7
6. Arizona State 17-2, 6
5. Stanford 18-3, 5
4. Pittsburgh 17-3, 4
3. Kentucky 16-2, 3
2. Texas 18-0, 2
1 .Nebraska 20-0, 1
Thank you for reading Female Athlete News. Lily Dorf is a student-intern at Penn State University.