AVCA Week 6 (2016): Gophers, Buckeyes and Cougars...Oh My!
Oct 4, 2016 21:51:42 GMT -5
nyline, treblejig, and 1 more like this
Post by lionsfan on Oct 4, 2016 21:51:42 GMT -5
Apologies for my hiatus last week…I was on a work trip in San Diego and swamped (literally…it was 102 degrees. What the hell, San Diego?!!!). Let’s take a look at some highlights of last week, matches to look forward to, and my own version of the poll! Based on the AVCA Week 6 poll from 10/3:
New #1: Thanks to an Ohio State upset at Nebraska, Minnesota is ranked #1 for the first time since Sept. 27, 2004. It is the 4th week in program history that the Gophers have held the top spot, putting them into a tie for 12th place all time with Illinois, BYU, Cal and San Diego State. Only 18 programs have ever been ranked #1 in the AVCA poll. Nebraska’s record 92 weeks ranked #1 was halted, at least temporarily. That’s four more weeks all time than second-place Penn State.
Tables Turned: When last they met, it was a #1 vs. #4 matchup in Minneapolis. But this Wednesday in Rec Hall, the Gophers will be the #1 team as #15 Penn State looks for a white-out upset. The Gophers are 9-45 against the Nittany Lions, but won the last meeting in a sweep at the Sports Pavilion. Minnesota's last win over Penn State in Happy Valley was in 2004. (Lionsfan would love it if the Penn State SID department made it easy to find out Penn State’s record against #1 teams, but it doesn't…)
Rock the (Scarlet) Red: Since joining the Big Ten in 2011, Nebraska owns a winning record against all conference schools except Ohio State, thanks to a 3-1 upset in Lincoln that knotted the conference series 4-4. The Buckeyes are 4-3 all-time in Lincoln, having notched their third consecutive road win (2012 and 2014). It also snapped the Huskers’ 28-game win streak and marked the fourth win for Ohio State over Nebraska in the last five meetings. The Buckeyes moved up five spots to #14 (jumping over Penn State), while Nebraska dropped to third—but still keeping the Big Ten with the top three teams for the second-consecutive week. Ohio State next travels to the Michigans before getting a rematch with the Huskers in Columbus (wow, that’s fast! Not a big fan of such quick turnarounds…)
Cougar Town: Can we stop a moment and marvel at the magic in Pullman? Since tying for third place in the Pac in 2002, Washington State has had a rough go in the conference: 7th place in 2003; 8th in 2009; 9th in 2015, 2006, 2005 and 2004; 11th in 2013 and 2011; and last place in 2014, 2012, 2010 (the last year the Pac had 10 teams), 2008 and 2007.
But with three straight wins over Top 10 conference foes, everything has changed. The Cougars were ranked 17th in Week 5, the program’s first top 25 ranking since November 9, 2009 (#21, one of three ranked weeks that season; WSU’s previous ranking came in the 2003 preseason poll after a strong 2002 outing). This week, the Cougars moved up to #10, their first Top 10 ranking since being #7 in the final poll of 2002. Washington State’s highest ranking was No. 5 on Oct. 17, 1995. (Oddly, they are still ranked BEHIND Washington and Stanford?!!)
Their streak included a win at then-#4 Washington (first win in Seattle since 2001) and at then-#9 UCLA (first in Westwood since 1997, their last win over the Bruins a home win in 2002), followed last week by just the fourth win ever (in 61 matches) over then-#9 Stanford. It was WSU’s first win over the Card since a 3-1 home win in 2002. The 4-0 conference start is the best since 1997. Up next: a road trip to the state of Oregon, including a match at the #20 Ducks.
Bluegrass State Rebound: With a shocking sweep of then-#5 Florida in Gainesville, Kentucky re-entered the rankings this week tied for 25th. It was the program’s first sweep over Florida since 1990, and marked the program’s first back-to-back road win trip over the Gators since the 1987 and 1989 seasons. It is the second time under Coach Craig Skinner that the Wildcats have won consecutive meetings (2009/2009), and the second-straight year the Cats knocked off a top-five ranked Gator team. Who are they tied with in this week’s Top 26? State-mate Western Kentucky, back in the polls after a seven-match win streak.
San Diego Dreamin’: San Diego entered Friday’s match against fellow West Coast Conference power BYU following a come-from-behind scare at LMU, when the Toreros trailed 0-2 in sets but pulled it out. Was it an omen of things to come? With the all-time series knotted 6-6 and the Cougars owning two wins from last season, a lot was on the line—and San Diego delivered in a surprising sweep, handing BYU just its second loss of the season. BYU dropped two spots to #13, while the Toreros climbed one to #5 (sadly, Lionsfan didn’t see this in person, despite being in San Diego at the time…but he did see two Padres games, including a win over the Dodgers…whoo! Let’s go Nats! But I digress…)
Lionsfan’s Top 25
1. Minnesota
2. Wisconsin
3. Nebraska
4. San Diego
5. Texas
6. Washington State
7. Stanford
8. Washington
9. North Carolina
10. Florida
11. Purdue
12. Kansas
13. BYU
14. Ohio State
15. Penn State
16. Colorado
17. UCLA
18. Hawaii
19. Florida State
20. Oregon
21. Illinois
22. Southern Cal
23. Michigan State
24. Michigan
25 (T). Kentucky, Kansas State (hey, if the AVCA poll can do it, so can I!)
New #1: Thanks to an Ohio State upset at Nebraska, Minnesota is ranked #1 for the first time since Sept. 27, 2004. It is the 4th week in program history that the Gophers have held the top spot, putting them into a tie for 12th place all time with Illinois, BYU, Cal and San Diego State. Only 18 programs have ever been ranked #1 in the AVCA poll. Nebraska’s record 92 weeks ranked #1 was halted, at least temporarily. That’s four more weeks all time than second-place Penn State.
Tables Turned: When last they met, it was a #1 vs. #4 matchup in Minneapolis. But this Wednesday in Rec Hall, the Gophers will be the #1 team as #15 Penn State looks for a white-out upset. The Gophers are 9-45 against the Nittany Lions, but won the last meeting in a sweep at the Sports Pavilion. Minnesota's last win over Penn State in Happy Valley was in 2004. (Lionsfan would love it if the Penn State SID department made it easy to find out Penn State’s record against #1 teams, but it doesn't…)
Rock the (Scarlet) Red: Since joining the Big Ten in 2011, Nebraska owns a winning record against all conference schools except Ohio State, thanks to a 3-1 upset in Lincoln that knotted the conference series 4-4. The Buckeyes are 4-3 all-time in Lincoln, having notched their third consecutive road win (2012 and 2014). It also snapped the Huskers’ 28-game win streak and marked the fourth win for Ohio State over Nebraska in the last five meetings. The Buckeyes moved up five spots to #14 (jumping over Penn State), while Nebraska dropped to third—but still keeping the Big Ten with the top three teams for the second-consecutive week. Ohio State next travels to the Michigans before getting a rematch with the Huskers in Columbus (wow, that’s fast! Not a big fan of such quick turnarounds…)
Cougar Town: Can we stop a moment and marvel at the magic in Pullman? Since tying for third place in the Pac in 2002, Washington State has had a rough go in the conference: 7th place in 2003; 8th in 2009; 9th in 2015, 2006, 2005 and 2004; 11th in 2013 and 2011; and last place in 2014, 2012, 2010 (the last year the Pac had 10 teams), 2008 and 2007.
But with three straight wins over Top 10 conference foes, everything has changed. The Cougars were ranked 17th in Week 5, the program’s first top 25 ranking since November 9, 2009 (#21, one of three ranked weeks that season; WSU’s previous ranking came in the 2003 preseason poll after a strong 2002 outing). This week, the Cougars moved up to #10, their first Top 10 ranking since being #7 in the final poll of 2002. Washington State’s highest ranking was No. 5 on Oct. 17, 1995. (Oddly, they are still ranked BEHIND Washington and Stanford?!!)
Their streak included a win at then-#4 Washington (first win in Seattle since 2001) and at then-#9 UCLA (first in Westwood since 1997, their last win over the Bruins a home win in 2002), followed last week by just the fourth win ever (in 61 matches) over then-#9 Stanford. It was WSU’s first win over the Card since a 3-1 home win in 2002. The 4-0 conference start is the best since 1997. Up next: a road trip to the state of Oregon, including a match at the #20 Ducks.
Bluegrass State Rebound: With a shocking sweep of then-#5 Florida in Gainesville, Kentucky re-entered the rankings this week tied for 25th. It was the program’s first sweep over Florida since 1990, and marked the program’s first back-to-back road win trip over the Gators since the 1987 and 1989 seasons. It is the second time under Coach Craig Skinner that the Wildcats have won consecutive meetings (2009/2009), and the second-straight year the Cats knocked off a top-five ranked Gator team. Who are they tied with in this week’s Top 26? State-mate Western Kentucky, back in the polls after a seven-match win streak.
San Diego Dreamin’: San Diego entered Friday’s match against fellow West Coast Conference power BYU following a come-from-behind scare at LMU, when the Toreros trailed 0-2 in sets but pulled it out. Was it an omen of things to come? With the all-time series knotted 6-6 and the Cougars owning two wins from last season, a lot was on the line—and San Diego delivered in a surprising sweep, handing BYU just its second loss of the season. BYU dropped two spots to #13, while the Toreros climbed one to #5 (sadly, Lionsfan didn’t see this in person, despite being in San Diego at the time…but he did see two Padres games, including a win over the Dodgers…whoo! Let’s go Nats! But I digress…)
Lionsfan’s Top 25
1. Minnesota
2. Wisconsin
3. Nebraska
4. San Diego
5. Texas
6. Washington State
7. Stanford
8. Washington
9. North Carolina
10. Florida
11. Purdue
12. Kansas
13. BYU
14. Ohio State
15. Penn State
16. Colorado
17. UCLA
18. Hawaii
19. Florida State
20. Oregon
21. Illinois
22. Southern Cal
23. Michigan State
24. Michigan
25 (T). Kentucky, Kansas State (hey, if the AVCA poll can do it, so can I!)
