University of Tennessee Athletics
UT VOLLEYBALL REACHES HIGHEST RANKING SINCE 1984
November 01, 2004 | Volleyball
Nov. 1, 2004
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The University of Tennessee volleyball team (21-2, 11-1 SEC) rose one spot to No. 15 in the USA Today/CSTV Top 25 Coaches Poll released today, the Lady Vols' highest ranking in the poll since the 1983 squad was selected 14th in the final poll of that season. UT's highest ranking in school history is 13th, reached three times that season: Nov. 28, Nov. 21 and Oct. 3.
Tennessee has now been nationally ranked for eight consecutive weeks after joining the elite group on Sept. 13 for the first time since Sept. 17, 1985. The Lady Vols have already broken the school record for conference victories after defeating Kentucky, 30-25, 30-24, 31-29, on Friday to move to 11-1 in SEC play. The Big Orange have four SEC matches left this season. UT's 21-2 overall record is its second best record through 23 matches in school history; the 1973 team went 22-1 on its way to a 27-1 start and 38-6 final mark.
The Orange and White have now won 20 or more games for the third consecutive season, the first such occurrence on Rocky Top since the 1978-84 teams each reached that milestone. UT has also secured a winning record for the seventh consecutive season, tying a school record as the 1978-84 squads also recorded winning marks. Tennessee has also clinched a berth in the SEC Tournament, to be played in Gainesville, Fla., from Nov. 19-21.
Tennessee plays at Appalachian State (20-6, 11-1 Southern Conference) at 7 p.m. tonight before returning home for its final two regular-season home matches of the season: versus Arkansas at 7 p.m. on Friday and against LSU at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
USA TODAY/CSTV Top 25 Coaches Poll
POLL #9: Nov. 1, 2004 (printable version) This article published on www.avca.org is copyrighted and may not be re-used without written permission from the American Volleyball Coaches Association. A web site may link directly to www.avca.org web pages, but may not put AVCA stories directly on its own site without written permission from the AVCA.
| Rank | School (First-Place Votes) | Total Points | * 2004 Record | Last Week |
| 1 | Washington (63) | 1,623 | 19-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Hawai'i (2) | 1,530 | 20-0 | 3 |
| 3 | Nebraska | 1,502 | 19-1 | 4 |
| 4 | Southern California | 1,402 | 14-3 | 5 |
| 5 | Minnesota | 1,316 | 21-3 | 2 |
| 6 | Penn State | 1,287 | 19-2 | 6 |
| 7 | Ohio State | 1,280 | 21-1 | 7 |
| 8 | Florida | 1,184 | 20-2 | 8 |
| 9 | Colorado State | 1,064 | 20-2 | 9 |
| 10 | Texas | 1,061 | 19-2 | 10 |
| 11 | California | 917 | 12-7 | 13 |
| 12 | Stanford | 819 | 15-6 | 11 |
| 13 | Saint Mary's (Calif.) | 795 | 19-2 | 14 |
| 14 | Texas A&M | 731 | 14-5 | 15 |
| 15 | Tennessee | 613 | 21-2 | 16 |
| 16 | UCLA | 576 | 14-7 | 12 |
| 17 | Utah | 575 | 18-3 | 17 |
| 18 | Kansas State | 488 | 14-7 | 18 |
| 19 | UC Santa Barbara | 434 | 16-3 | 20 |
| 20 | Santa Clara | 432 | 16-4 | 19 |
| 21 | San Diego | 340 | 16-4 | 22 |
| 22-tie | Louisville | 262 | 20-2 | 23 |
| 22-tie | Arizona | 262 | 13-8 | 24 |
| 24 | Florida A&M | 152 | 20-2 | 25 |
| 25 | Illinois | 136 | 15-6 | 21 |
Two teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of three (3) combined points
Dropped Out: None
Poll conducted and distributed by the AVCA
** The AVCA does not recognize any rankings below 25 in the poll as it is not possible when voters only select the top 25 teams and only teams with two or more votes are listed. It would be accurate and logical to say "listed" instead of "ranked" in the poll for spots below 25.
This article published on www.avca.org is copyrighted and may not be re-used without written permission from the American Volleyball Coaches Association. A web site may link directly to www.avca.org web pages, but may not put AVCA stories directly on its own site without written permission from the AVCA.
