On the strength of a 14-1 overall record and eight wins this season against top-25 opponents, the University of Florida volleyball team has ascended to the nation’s No. 1 spot in the latest American Volleyball Coaches Association Top-25 Coaches Poll, the Lexington, Ky., based organization announced Monday afternoon.
It marks Florida’s first No. 1 national ranking since December 3, 1996, capping a span of five consecutive weeks during the 1996 campaign that the Gators held the nation’s top spot.
Florida has played perhaps the nation’s toughest schedule during the 2010 season, facing nine top-25 opponents in their first 12 matches this season. The Gators currently boast a record of 14-1 overall and 7-0 in the Southeastern Conference through their first 15 matches.
The Gators hold the nation’s fifth-longest streak of consecutive weeks ranked in the AVCA poll, as Florida has been ranked in the top-25 for 298 consecutive weeks dating back to Sept. 17, 1991. UF has been ranked among the nation’s top 10 in 244 of those weeks.
Stanford checks in at No. 2 in this week’s AVCA Top-25 Poll after ranking No. 1 after holding the No. 1 spot for four consecutive weeks. Nebraska is ranked third with Hawaii fourth and Southern California fifth. SEC opponents LSU and Tennessee are ranked 12th and 24th, respectively, this week.
The next AVCA poll will be released on Oct. 18.
Florida returns to action on Friday when it plays host to Auburn. Opening serve in the Stephen C. O’Connell Center is slated for 4 p.m. ET and the match will be carried live on GatorVision Online and ROCK 104 (103.7 FM in Gainesville) with Tom Collett and Missy Whittemore.
AVCA DIVISION I TOP-25 COACHES POLL (WEEK 7 – OCTOBER 11, 2010)
1. Florida (25) – 14-1
2. Stanford (22) – 14-1
3. Nebraska (10) – 16-1
4. Hawaii (2) – 14-1
5. Southern California – 14-2
6. California – 15-1
7. Washington (1) – 15-1
8. Illinois – 13-3
9. Penn State – 13-4
10. UCLA – 12-4
11. Texas – 10-5
12. LSU – 16-1
13. Iowa State – 11-4
14. Northern Iowa – 14-2
15. Michigan – 16-2
16. Colorado State – 15-2
17. Oregon – 15-3
18. Dayton – 15-3
19. Minnesota – 14-4
20. Northwestern – 15-2
21. Cincinnati – 17-3
22. Florida State – 13-3
23. San Diego – 13-4
24. Tennessee – 13-4
25. Arizona – 14-4
Others Receiving Votes and appearing on two or more ballots: Duke; Purdue; Long Beach State; Oklahoma; St. Mary's (Calif.); Middle Tennessee; Tulsa; North Carolina; Indiana; Pacific
| FLORIDA RANKINGS WEEK-BY-WEEK IN THE 2010 AVCA POLL | |
| Preseason (Aug. 17) | 13th |
| Week 1 (Aug. 30) | 6th |
| Week 2 (Sept. 6) | 4th |
| Week 3 (Sept. 13) | 3rd |
| Week 4 (Sept. 20) | 3rd |
| Week 5 (Sept. 27) | 2nd |
| Week 6 (Oct. 4) | 2nd |
| Week 7 (Oct. 11) | 1st |
| NCAA DIVISION-I VOLLEYBALL CONSECUTIVE WEEKS RANKED IN AVCA POLL | ||
| Team | Consecutive Polls Ranked | Entered Poll Streak |
| Stanford | 403 | 9/15/82 |
| Nebraska | 403 | 9/15/82 |
| Penn State | 324 | 11/20/88 |
| Southern Cal | 300 | 8/31/91 |
| Florida | 298 | 9/17/91 |
