Kentucky volleyball moves up in national poll despite tough loss to top-ranked Nebraska

Kentucky volleyball lost a heartbreaker over the weekend, but the national media came away with even respect for Craig Skinner’s squad.

The Wildcats (1-1) moved up three spots in this week’s AVCA Top 25 poll, jumping from No. 7 to No. 4 in the country despite being reverse-swept by top-ranked Nebraska on Sunday in Nashville. It was a historic moment for the sport as the first-ever match broadcast on ABC, and Kentucky had the Cornhuskers on the ropes early, but mental mistakes down the stretch cost them a statement win early in the season.

It was about as thrilling a showdown as anyone could have asked for — national championship-level vibes for a match in late August. The voters certainly agreed. Nebraska is now the unanimous number one team in the country, followed by Texas and Louisville, respectively, with Kentucky checking in after them. Penn State, the Wildcats’ next opponent, rounds out the top five.

Check out this week’s AVCA/TARAFLEX Division I Women’s Volleyball Poll, which finds @huskervb back on top. @TexasVolleyball moves up three spots to No. 2, @LouisvilleVB bumps up a spot to 3, and @KentuckyVB slides in at No. 4.https://t.co/HKrBSezugA#WeAreAVCA pic.twitter.com/O0bgcxnQcG

— AVCA (@AVCAVolleyball) September 1, 2025

Let’s not forget that Kentucky’s five-set loss to Nebraska was followed by the season-opening win the day prior. UK easily swept Lipscomb 3-0 in Nashville on Saturday to set the table for Sunday’s eventual loss.

There won’t be many more cake walks on the schedule this season, though. Up next is No. 5 Penn State this Friday in State College, PA (8:00 p.m. ET | FOX). Kentucky is also slated to face No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Louisville, No. 9 Pittsburgh, No. 10 Texas A&M, No. 11 SMU, No. 12 Florida, and No. 16 Missouri later in the season.

Coach Skinner loaded up the schedule with top-end opponents in 2024 — it led to the program’s eighth straight SEC championship. He’s doing the same again in 2025, but hopefully with more non-conference wins mixed in along the way. Kentucky could use a bounce-back win against the Nittany Lions later this week.

AVCA Week 1 Top 25 Poll

1. Nebraska
2. Texas
3. Louisville
4. Kentucky
5. Penn State
6. Stanford
7. Arizona State
8. Wisconsin
9. Pittsburgh
10. Texas A&M
11. SMU
12. Florida
13. Creighton
14. Minnesota
15. Kansas
16. Missouri
17. Purdue
18. BYU
19. UCLA
20. Baylor
21. Utah
22. Southern California
23. Georgia Tech
24. TCU
25. Dayton

Others receiving votes:  North Carolina 68; Oregon 51; Tennessee 28; Western Kentucky 20; Miami (FL) 19; Marquette 18; Florida State 17; San Diego 14; Oklahoma 12; Arizona 7; LSU 5; Rice 3

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