Alix Klineman had 33 kills to lead Stanford to its fourth consecutive Pac-10 title

It took a pair of five-set matches in regular-season finales to decide it, but the champion of the nation's toughest conference, once again - for the fourth consecutive season - is No. 6 Stanford. The Cardinal dropped the opening two sets at home against archrival and 11th-ranked California on Friday night, but rallied for a 23-25, 18-25, 25-23, 25-20, 15-4 triumph in front of 5,125 fans. Junior outside hitter Alix Klineman pounded a career-high 33 kills on .329 hitting to go with 11 digs to lead the Cardinal - which ended the regular season with six consecutive victories, including four against ranked opponents. The win gave Stanford a 14-4 final record in Pac-10 Conference action.

Fourth-ranked Washington could have matched that mark and earned a share of the league title (as well as the conference's automatic bid, by virtue of a tiebreaker) with a home win against No. 18 Oregon. The Huskies took the first two sets, but then suffered three consecutive tight set defeats that saw Oregon save three match poings. In the end, it was the Ducks who prevailed, 15-25, 21-25, 25-23, 31-29, 15-13, snapping a 17-match losing streak against UW in front of a crowd of 4,036. Senior outside hitter Sonja Newcombe was brilliant for Oregon, finishing with a career-high 36 kills on .382 hitting to go with 21 digs. Junior outside hitter Heather Meyers added 20 kills and 17 digs for UO, while junior outside hitter Kindra Carlson led the Huskies with 24 kills on .350 hitting and 20 digs. Senior libero Tamari Miyashiro had 31 digs for Washington, and junior setter Jenna Hagglund set UW to a .301 attack percentage.

There was one other matchup of ranked teams on Friday, and No. 9 UCLA pounded 19th-ranked Arizona 25-13, 25-13, 25-17. Freshman Lauren Cook set the Bruins to a .369 hitting mark, and UCLA held the Wildcats to a .103 attack percentage. Junior outside hitter Tiffany Owens had 16 kills and 16 digs for Arizona.

Also on Friday, top-ranked Penn State swept Michigan State (25-17, 25-20, 25-21) to move within one match of a second consecutive unbeaten regular season. The Nittany Lions will play host to 12th-ranked Michigan on Saturday evening. The Wolverines suffered an upset on Friday, losing 25-20, 25-22, 25-22 to Ohio State. Junior outside hitter Katie Dull led the Buckeyes with 13 kills on .423 hitting, while senior Ashley Hughes set her offense to a .385 attack percentage. Junior setter Lexi Zimmerman helped U-M post a .343 hitting mark in the losing effort.

There was one other major upset on Friday, as Conference USA champion Rice knocked off SEC champion and 17th-ranked LSU in three sets (32-30, 25-20, 25-20). Junior Meredith Schamun set the Owls to a .338 hitting mark, and senior middle blocker Natalie Bogan had a match-high 14 kills on .367 hitting for Rice - which beat a ranked team for the first time since 2006 and will carry a nine-match winning streak into the NCAA tournament.

The final two automatic bids to the NCAA Championship will be determined on Saturday. No. 20 Northern Iowa will face third-seeded Wichita State in the final of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship at 3:07 p.m. CT, while top-seeded Portland State and third-seeded Northern Colorado will face off for the Big Sky title at 7 p.m. PT. Neither outcome figures to affect the hopes of bubble teams too dramatically. We'll also be treated to four matchups of ranked teams on the final day of the regular season. In addition to PSU-Michigan, No. 5 Illinois will be at 13th-ranked Minnesota, 16th-ranked USC plays host to No. 19 Arizona and the top non-conference match of the weekend will see 25th-ranked Notre Dame play at No. 15 Florida.

TODAY'S SCOREBOARD WATCH
All Times Eastern
New Mexico State at No. 23 Colorado State, 2 p.m. - Live Stats
Middle Tennessee at No. 22 Saint Louis, 4 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 20 Northern Iowa vs. Wichita State (MVC final), 4:07 p.m. - TV: FSN, Fox College Sports, CSN, Metro Sports, DirecTV Channel 671, Dish Channel 418 | Live Stats
No. 19 Arizona at No. 16 USC, 5 p.m. - Live Stats
Arizona State at No. 9 UCLA, 6 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
BYU at No. 21 Saint Mary's, 6 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 12 Michigan at No. 1 Penn State, 7 p.m. - TV: Big Ten Network (airs Sunday, 6 p.m. ET) | Live Stats
Kansas at No. 2 Texas, 7:30 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
Oklahoma at No. 7 Iowa State, 7:30 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 25 Notre Dame at No. 15 Florida, 7:30 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 5 Illinois at No. 13 Minnesota, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
Colorado at No. 8 Nebraska, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
Portland State vs. Northern Colorado (Big Sky final), 10 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
No. 3 Hawai'i continued to roll with another dominant victory, this time by 25-12, 25-15, 25-15 scores on the road against San Jose State on Monday. Junior Dani Mafua set the Rainbow Wahine to 45 kills and just seven errors for a .458 atack percentage. Sophomore outside hitter Kanani Danielson had 15 kills on .519 hitting and senior middle Amber Kaufman posted 11 kills on 13 errorless swings for an .846 mark. Since dropping back-to-back matches to Texas and California on the first weekend of September, Hawai'i has won 17 in a row - including 14 sweeps. The Rainbow Wahine - which have won at least a share of the regular-season title in all 13 previous seasons of membership in the WAC - hold a 2.5 game lead in the conference standings.

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Ellie Blankenship and Northern Iowa are ranked for the first time in nearly six years

This week's edition of the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 was released yesterday. You can view it here. Here are a few notes:

• There are two new entrants in the poll this week, both of whom reenter the Top 25 for the first time in several years and are tied with each other for 25th.
• Northern Iowa is one of those teams tied for 25th. The Panthers have won 20 straight matches and stand 22-2 on the season, with the only defeats coming against No. 23 Texas A&M (3-1 on the road) and No. 8 Iowa State (3-1 at home). It marks the first national ranking for UNI - which leads the Missouri Valley Conference by two games with a 12-0 record - since it finished the 2003 season at 18th.
• Saint Mary's is also tied for the final spot, marking the first national ranking for the Gaels since Oct. 10, 2005. SMC stands 16-4 on the season with the defeats coming against No. 5 Stanford, No. 13 California (twice) and 22nd-ranked San Diego. The Gaels - who lead the Toreros by one game atop the West Coast Conference standings - also have a four-set victory over Texas A&M to their credit.
• After losing twice last week, UC Irvine fell out of the Top 25 and is now the third team receiving votes.
• The Pac-10 still leads all conferences with eight ranked teams, while the Big 12 boasts five squads in the rankings this week. The Big Ten has four ranked teams (all in the top 15), while the SEC has three and the West Coast Conference is the only other league with multiple ranked squads (two).
• The top four teams are all from different conferences, marking the 10th consecutive week that has been the case. The top 10 features three teams each from the Big 12 and Pac-10, as well as two from the Big Ten and one each from the WAC and SEC.
• The biggest upward mover this week was UCLA, which rose four spots to seventh, matching its season high. The largest drop among teams remaining in the poll was by Minnesota, which is down five slots to 12th.
• Penn State is No. 1 for the 34th consecutive poll - an AVCA record - since taking over the top spot on Oct. 29, 2007. PSU has been ranked in the top five for 76 consecutive polls, since finishing seventh in 2004. The Lions have been ranked in the top 10 in 93 straight polls, since checking in at 11th on Dec. 8, 2003.
• Texas has been No. 2 in every poll this season (which matches the highest ranking in program history). The Longhorns have been ranked in the top five for 27 consecutive polls, since being sixth to finish the 2007 season. UT has been in the top 10 in each of the last 54 polls, since being 11th on Oct. 2, 2006.
• Washington moved up a spot to fourth and is the only other team to have been in the top five in every poll this season.
• Illinois and Stanford are tied for fifth this week. That listing marks the highest ranking for the Illini since Sept. 22, 1992.
• Iowa State has recorded the highest ranking in program history for the fifth time in less than a year. The Cyclones were a then-all-time-best 12th in the final poll of 2008, before moving to 11th for the first time on Sept. 7 of this season and then cracking the top 10 for the first time the following week. ISU then moved up to ninth last week and is now an all-time high of eighth.
• Nebraska slid two spots to match its season-low ranking of 10th. The Cornhuskers did continue their streak of 92 straight top-10 rankings - dating back to finishing the 2003 season at 13th.
• Florida State is up to an all-time high ranking of 16th after appearing at 17th on five occasions before (once in 1993 and four times this season).
• LSU is up a spot to 19th - which is the highest ranking for the Tigers since they were 18th on Oct. 8, 2007.

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Brittnee Cooper and LSU are up to seventh in the RPI

The latest edition of the official NCAA RPI came out this week. You can view it here. Below are some observations:

• Penn State slid up a spot past Florida State to second in this week's RPI, while Texas continued to hold on to the top spot. Illinois stayed at fourth, while Washington moved up two spots to fifth.
• For the fourth straight week, the Big Ten boasted three of the top six teams: No. 2 Penn State, No. 4 Illinois and No. 6 Minnesota. Six Pac-10 squads - No. 4 Washington, No. 7 UCLA, No. 9 Stanford, No. 11 California, No. 13 Arizona and No. 15 Oregon - are among the top 15.
• Two big upward movers this week were UCLA and LSU, which both rose six positions, to sixth and seventh, respectively.
• Notre Dame moved up one spot to 14th this week and continues to be the highest-ranked team in the RPI that is not listed in the Top 25 of the AVCA poll. The Irish are the second team receiving votes.
• There are five other teams - Colorado State (19th), Tennessee (20th), Florida International (22nd), Michigan State (23rd) and Ohio State (25th) - that are unranked but appear in the top 25 of the RPI.
• Among the others that fared better in the RPI than in the AVCA poll are Florida State (ranked 16th; RPI of 3rd), Minnesota (12th; 6th), LSU (19th; 8th), Michigan (15th; 10th) and Arizona (18th; 13th).
• Teams that appear considerably lower in the RPI than in the AVCA poll this week include Hawai'i (ranked 3rd; RPI of 18th), Florida (9th; 17th), Nebraska (10th; 16th), Kentucky (11th; 21st), USC (17th; 33rd), Baylor (20th; 30th), Saint Louis (21st; 32nd), San Diego (22nd; 55th), Texas A&M (23rd; 34th), Washington State (24th; 38th) and Saint Mary's (25th; 46th).
• If the NCAA Championship field was determined based soley on this RPI listing, and you assume that each conference's automatic bid goes to its highest-ranked team - then the last four teams to make the field as at-large participants would be Miami (Fla.), New Mexico, Oklahoma and North Carolina. The first four teams out would be Georgia Tech, Oregon State, San Diego and Virginia Tech.
• A field determined in that way would include eight teams from the Pac-10, as well as seven from the Big Ten, six from the Big 12, four each from the ACC and SEC, plus three from the BIG EAST, Missouri Valley and Mountain West and two each from the Atlantic 10, Big West and Sun Belt. All other conferences would have just one participant.

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Florida State's Brianna Barry is hitting .527 this season

The latest edition of NCAA statistics also were released on Monday. The complete listings can be found here. A couple of quick notes:

• The NCAA Division I season record for hitting percentage is .519, which was done by Tyrona Clark from Florida A&M in 1988 (the only other DI player ever to hit over .500 for a season also was a Rattler: Maria Andonova, who hit .504 in 2004). Right now there are two players who are ahead of that pace. Penn State junior middle hitter Arielle Wilson leads all players with a .569 mark, while Florida State senior middle blocker Brianna Barry is at .527.
• Penn State, at .412, is on pace to break the Division I season record for team hitting percentage - a category the Nittany Lions have led the country in over each of the last three seasons. The DI record is .406 by the 1983 Hofstra team. Last year's PSU squad sits second on that list at .390. No other Division I team has a hitting percentage of even .330 this season, and only five schools are hitting over .290.
• The top three teams in hitting percentage match exactly the top three teams in the AVCA poll: Penn State (.412), Texas (.329) and Hawai'i (.310).

The Division I leader in each category is below.

TEAM
Service Aces - Sacred Heart, 2.37
Assists - Texas A&M, 14.16
Blocks - Idaho, 3.11
Digs - NJIT, 20.24
Hitting Percentage - Penn State, .412
Kills - Texas A&M, 14.96
Winning Percentage - Penn State and Texas, 1.000
INDIVIDUAL
Service Aces - Ashley Herman, Delaware State, 0.65
Assists - Kendall Bateman, USC, 12.23
Blocks - Amanda Gil, UCLA, 1.61
Digs - Sabrina Baby, NJIT, 6.29
Hitting Percentage - Arielle Wilson, Penn State, .569
Kills - Burgundy McCurty, Siena, 5.48

Ashley Mass helped Iowa State beat Nebraska for the first time

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Highlights from Last Night
It was a night for road teams to pull off upsets. No. 14 Iowa State made history by going on the road and pulling off a five-set (18-25, 25-19, 23-25, 25-21, 15-12) win against fifth-ranked Nebraska in front of a crowd of 4,137. Since the inception of the varsity program 33 years ago, the Cyclones had been 0-75 against the Cornhuskers. Sophomore outside hitter Rachel Hockaday led ISU with 18 kills, while junior libero Ashley Mass added 25 digs in the comeback victory. Nebraska is the highest-ranked team ever to be defeated by Iowa State - which took over sole possession of second place in the Big 12.

Tennessee also hit the road and pulled off an upset of a top-10 team, as the Lady Vols knocked off No. 7 Kentucky 25-23, 23-25, 25-23, 25-22 in front of 2,291 fans. Junior outside hitter Nikki Fowler led UT with 20 kills, while senior libero Chloe Goldman had 23 digs. The win establishes Tennessee (15-5, 8-2) as one of the elite teams in the SEC, a conference that has four teams with just two league defeats or fewer - while the remaining squads all have losing records in conference action. In the losing effort, senior libero BriAnne Sauer recorded a career-high 35 digs and junior outside hitter Sarah Mendoza had 22 kills for UK.

Oklahoma also got into the action on Wednesday, as the Sooners went to No. 21 Texas A&M and pulled off a sweep (25-23, 25-21, 25-23) of the Aggies. Sophomore outside hitter Caitlin Higgins led a balanced Sooners attack with 11 kills, as OU defeated ranked opponents in back-to-back matches for the first time ever. Oklahoma knocked off Baylor on Saturday.

The other two ranked teams in action won in straight sets. No. 2 Texas moved to 15-0 with a 25-14, 25-20, 25-20 win against Missouri that saw senior Ashley Engle set the Longhorns to a .452 hitting percentage - while senior outside hitter Destinee Hooker had 19 kills and no errors on 32 swings for a .594 mark. No. 11 Michigan was tested on the road against Michigan State, but eventually prevailed 33-31, 25-22, 26-24 in front of 4,309 fans. Sophomore right side Alex Hunt led the way with a season-high 19 kills.

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WEEKEND PREVIEW
None of the top-five teams will face a nationally-ranked opponent this week, and there are no matchups of top-10 squads against each other. Still, there are some intriguing matches and a few teams who have big opportunities.

• A pair of Pac-10 teams - No. 12 Oregon and 16th-ranked Arizona - have big road trips this weekend. The Ducks - who posted wins against California and Stanford at home last weekend - will play at No. 13 UCLA on Friday and at 18th-ranked USC the following afternoon. In 2008, UO played a pair of five-set matches on its L.A. trip and came away with a win against the Bruins before losing 23-21 in the fifth against the Trojans.
• No. 16 Arizona has rebounded from a three-match losing streak with a three-match winning streak (the longest current streak in the brutal Pac-10), but the Wildcats will head to the Bay Area for a big challenge - matches against 15th-ranked Cal on Friday and vs. fifth-ranked Stanford on Sunday afternoon.
• Another team with a tough challenge ahead is ninth-ranked Minnesota, which welcomes Michigan State - which has been in and out of the rankings all season - on Friday before playing host to No. 11 Michigan on Saturday.
• There's a huge matchup in the SEC on Saturday in Lexington, as 20th-ranked LSU - winners of eight of in a row - takes on No. 7 Kentucky. It's a matchup between the leaders of the conference's Eastern and Western Divisions, as both come in with 9-1 marks in league action.
• The toughest test for the top-five could come on Friday for No. 4 Washington, as the Huskies head to Washington State - the first team outside of the Top 25 - for a rivalry match. The Huskies, the Pac-10 leader with a 7-1 conference mark, have won 12 in a row against WSU.
• Another team not in the rankings - but receiving votes - that could be dangerous is Oregon State. The Beavers make the trip to L.A., and will take on No. 18 USC on Friday and 13th-ranked UCLA the next night.
• No. 19 UC Irvine sits atop the Big West Conference standings with a 6-1 record. After a thrilling five-set victory last weekend, the Anteaters have another tough challenge on the horizon. UCI will play host to UC Santa Barbara - which is receiving votes in the AVCA poll - on Friday.

WEEKEND SCOREBOARD WATCH
Top 25 and Television Schedule
Thursday, October 22
No. 25 Colorado State at TCU, 8 p.m. - TV: The Mtn. (airs 9:30 p.m. ET) | Live Stats
No. 22 San Diego at Gonzaga, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
Sacramento State at Northern Arizona, 10 p.m. - TV: Universityhouse | Live Stats
Fresno State at New Mexico State, 11 p.m. - TV: ESPNU | Live Stats
Friday, October 23
Arkansas at No. 10 Florida, 7 p.m. - TV: Sun Sports & SportSouth | Live Stats
North Carolina State at No. 17 Florida State, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
Indiana at No. 1 Penn State, 8 p.m. - TV: ESPNU (live) & ESPN2 (airs Sunday, 1 p.m. ET) | Live Stats
No. 8 Illinois at Wisconsin, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
Michigan State at No. 9 Minnesota, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
La Salle at No. 24 Saint Louis, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
Oregon State at No. 18 USC, 9 p.m. - Live Stats
BYU at Utah, 9 p.m. - TV: BYU-TV | Live Stats
No. 4 Washington at Washington State, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
Arizona State at No. 6 Stanford, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 12 Oregon at No. 13 UCLA, 10 p.m. - TV: FSN (delayed) | Free Video | Live Stats
No. 16 Arizona at No. 15 California, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
UC Santa Barbara at No. 19 UC Irvine, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
BYU-Hawai'i at No. 3 Hawai'i, 1 a.m. - TV: KFVE | Live Stats
Saturday, October 24
No. 20 LSU at No. 7 Kentucky, 1:30 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 25 Colorado State at New Mexico, 3 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 22 San Diego at Portland, 4 p.m. - Live Stats
Colorado at No. 2 Texas, 5 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
No. 12 Oregon at No. 18 USC, 5 p.m. - Live Stats
Purdue at No. 1 Penn State, 7 p.m. - TV: Big Ten Network (airs Sunday, 8 p.m. ET) | Live Stats
Texas Tech at No. 14 Iowa State, 7:30 p.m. - Live Stats
Oklahoma at No. 5 Nebraska, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 8 Illinois at Iowa, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 11 Michigan at No. 9 Minnesota, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 23 Baylor at Kansas State, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
Oregon State at No. 13 UCLA, 10 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
Cal Poly at No. 19 UC Irvine, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
Sunday, October 25
North Carolina at No. 17 Florida State, 1 p.m. - Live Stats
Temple at No. 24 Saint Louis, 1 p.m. - Live Stats
Mississippi at No. 10 Florida, 1:30 p.m. - Live Stats
Rice at Tulsa, 2 p.m. - TV: CBSC | Live Stats
No. 16 Arizona at No. 6 Stanford, 4 p.m. - Live Stats
Arizona State at No. 15 California, 4 p.m. - TV: CSN | Live Stats

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
No. 3 Hawai'i began the week with another decisive victory, this time a 25-12, 25-8, 25-17 home triumph against Louisiana Tech. UH held the Lady Techsters to just 16 kills and 19 attack errors (eight on blocks) for a -.032 hitting mark. Sophomore outside hitter Kanani Danielson had 11 kills for the Rainbow Wahine - who have won 13 in a row.

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Jamel Nicholas and Notre Dame are 11th in the RPI

The second edition of the official NCAA RPI came out this week. You can view it here. Below are some observations:

• The top four positions - Texas, Florida State, Penn State and Illinois - in this week's RPI remained the same, but Washington slid up three spots to round out the top five.
• For the second straight week, four of the top seven teams in the RPI are from the Big Ten: No. 3 Penn State, No. 4 Illinois, No. 6 Michigan and No. 7 Minnesota. The Pac-10 has five of the top 14: No. 5 Washington, No. 8 Arizona, No. 9 Oregon, No. 13 California and No. 14 Stanford.
• Notre Dame rose five positions to 11th in this week's RPI, though the Irish are the fifth team listed outside of the Top 25 in the AVCA poll. ND stands 13-4 on the season and sits atop the BIG EAST Conference standings with a 7-0 mark. Its defeats came against No. 11 Michigan, No. 17 Florida State, No. 20 LSU and Tennessee (which is receiving votes) - and Notre Dame has a win against No. 6 Stanford to its credit.
• There are four other teams - Florida International (16th), Michigan State (18th), Ohio (20th) and Tennessee (23rd) - that are unranked but appear in the top 25 of the RPI.
• Among the others that fared better in the RPI than in the AVCA poll are Michigan (ranked 11th; RPI of 6th), Arizona (16th; 8th) and LSU (20th; 12th).
• Teams that appear considerably lower in the RPI than in the AVCA poll this week include Hawai'i (ranked 3rd; RPI of 22nd), Nebraska (5th; 17th), Stanford (6th; 14th), Kentucky (7th; 19th), UCLA (13th; 25th), USC (18th; 27th), UC Irvine (19th; 55th), Texas A&M (21st; 33rd), and San Diego (22nd; 45th).
• If the NCAA Championship field was determined based soley on this RPI listing, and you assume that each conference's automatic bid goes to its highest-ranked team - then the last four teams to make the field as at-large participants would be Pittsburgh, Wisconsin, New Mexico and Kansas. The first four teams out would be Saint Mary's, Northwestern, Oklahoma and North Carolina.
• A field determined in that way would include nine teams from the Pac-10, as well as eight from the Big Ten, six from the Big 12, four each from the ACC and SEC, plus three from the Missouri Valley Conference and two each from the Atlantic 10, BIG EAST, Big West, Mountain West and Sun Belt. All other conferences would have just one participant.

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Danielle Minch and Colorado State have won 12 in a row

This week's edition of the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 was released on Monday. You can view it here. Here are a few notes:

• Riding a 12-match winning streak that includes sweeps of BYU and Utah last week, Colorado State moved into the final spot in the Top 25. It's the Rams' first ranking since they were 24th in the preseason. Long Beach State surrendered the final spot to CSU after losing in five to UC Irvine.
• The Pac-10 still leads all conferences with seven ranked teams (all at 18th or higher), while the Big 12 boasts five squads in the rankings this week. The Big Ten has four teams in the rankings, but all of them are among the top 11. The SEC has three teams ranked, and six leagues have one ranked team each.
• For the eighth consecutive week, the Big Ten has three teams - No. 1 Penn State, No. 6 Minnesota and No. 10 Illinois - ranked among the top 10. The top 10 is rather balanced, though, with the Big 12, Pac-10 and SEC all featuring a pair in the group.
• The biggest upward mover this week was LSU, which moved up four spots to 20th. It's the Tigers' highest ranking in more than two years, since being 18th on Oct. 8, 2007. The largest drops were by Baylor and Saint Louis, which both dropped four spots to 23rd and 24th, respectively.
• Penn State is No. 1 for the 32nd consecutive poll - an AVCA record - since taking over the top spot on Oct. 29, 2007, while Texas has been No. 2 in every poll this season (which matches the highest ranking in program history).
• Kentucky moved up another spot to seventh, which is the highest listing for the Wildcats since being fifth on Oct. 5, 1993. UK has moved up in each of the last four polls that have been released.
• Arizona rose two positions to 16th, which is the highest ranking for the Wildcats since they finished the 2005 campaign at seventh.
• Illinois moved up two places to eighth - which matches its season high.

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The latest edition of NCAA statistics also were released on Monday. The complete listings can be found here. There was a lot of movement at the top of the individual lists this week, as we have new Division I leaders in four of the six categories: Marist junior middle blocker Lindsey Schmid in service aces (0.67), Iowa State senior Kaylee Manns in assists (12.28), UCLA sophomore middle blocker Amanda Gil in blocking (1.58) and Siena senior Burgundy McCurty in kills (5.34). In the team categories, Sacred Heart moved into first in service aces (2.19), while Idaho just edged past Texas for first in blocks (3.10). Also, Texas A&M took over the top spot in kills (15.09) to make the Aggies the national leader in both that and assists (14.28). The Division I leader in each category is below.

TEAM
Service Aces - Sacred Heart, 2.19
Assists - Texas A&M, 14.28
Blocks - Idaho, 3.10
Digs - NJIT, 20.54
Hitting Percentage - Penn State, .421
Kills - Texas A&M, 15.09
Winning Percentage - Penn State and Texas, 1.000
INDIVIDUAL
Service Aces - Lindsey Schmid, Marist, 0.67
Assists - Kaylee Manns, Iowa State, 12.28
Blocks - Amanda Gil, UCLA, 1.58
Digs - Sabrina Baby, NJIT, 6.51
Hitting Percentage - Arielle Wilson, Penn State, .591
Kills - Burgundy McCurty, Siena, 5.34

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TODAY'S SCOREBOARD WATCH
Top-25 and Televised Matches (All Times Eastern)
Tennessee at No. 7 Kentucky, 7 p.m. - TV: ESPNU | Live Stats
No. 11 Michigan at Michigan State, 7 p.m. - TV: Big Ten Network | Live Stats
Missouri at No. 2 Texas, 7:30 p.m. - TV: TWC Texas Channel | Free Video | Live Stats
Oklahoma at No. 21 Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
No. 14 Iowa State at No. 5 Nebraska, 8 p.m. - TV: NET | Free Video | Live Stats

Alex Hunt and Michigan will challenge Penn State in front of a sold-out crowd on Friday

Here are some notes on this weekend's biggest matchups:

• There are seven matches pitting nationally-ranked teams against each other this weekend, with five of those coming on Friday night and spanning three different conferences.
• The Big Ten Conference boasts four teams ranked among the top 11, and those squads will hook up for two huge matchups on Friday evening. Top-ranked Penn State - riding its NCAA-record 82-match winning streak - heads to 11th-ranked Michigan in a match that will be shown on a delayed basis on ESPN2. Sixth-ranked Minnesota plays at No. 10 Illinois in a contest that will be aired on tape delay by the Big Ten Network.
• Penn State is atop the conference standings with a 6-0 mark (and a conference-record 51 consecutive Big Ten victories), while Minnesota is in second place at 5-1. Illinois (5-2) and Michigan (4-2) are right behind the Gophers.
• PSU and Michigan are the top two teams in the Big Ten in kills (Penn State is first at 15.07; Michigan is at 14.27) and service aces (U-M is first at 1.78; PSU is at 1.64). The match also will feature the league's top two individual servers, as PSU's Alyssa D'Errico is tops at 0.59 aces per set, while Michigan's Alex Hunt is second at 0.54.
• The Penn State-Michigan match in Keen Arena is sold out. The Nittany Lions have won 12 in a row against the Wolverines (with eight of those being in straight sets).
• The Minnesota-Illinois contest is a special event called Spike the Record at Illini Madness, in which the match will be held in Assembly Hall immediately before the first Illinois basketball practices. Illinois has announced it is attempting to break the NCAA record for attendance at a regular-season volleyball match held in conjunction with a special promotion of another event. That record is 16,126 fans, and it was set at a five-set victory for North Carolina over Duke on Oct. 17, 2003, in a match held before UNC's first men's basketball practice.
• Each of the last three matches between Minnesota and Illinois have ended in five-set victories for the Gophers.
• The Pac-10 has four matches between ranked squads this weekend. On Friday, it will be 14th-ranked California at No. 15 Oregon, as well as No. 12 UCLA at fourth-ranked Washington. The following evening, No. 5 Stanford will be at Oregon, while Washington plays host to No. 16 USC.
• Stanford has won 39 straight against the Ducks and is 46-2 all-time in the series. Oregon's last victory came in 1989.
• Also on Friday, the co-leaders in the Big West Conference will meet, as No. 21 UC Irvine plays host to 25th-ranked Long Beach State. Both are 4-1 in league action.
• Long Beach State is the top defensive team in the Big West, allowing opponents to hit .173 this season - while UC Irvine is next-best at .177.
• LBSU and UCI split their meetings a season ago, but The Beach has won eight of the last 10 and is 57-7 all-time against the Anteaters.
• The top two teams in the Atlantic 10 will play this weekend, as well, as No. 20 Saint Louis heads to Dayton, which is receiving votes. The Billikens are 4-0 in conference action this season and have won 21 straight A-10 regular-season matches - while the Flyers are 5-0 in the A-10. Dayton is the last team to beat SLU in league action, a four-set match on Oct. 28, 2007.
• The West Coast Conference also has a matchup of two of its elite teams, as 23rd-ranked San Diego will play host to Saint Mary's - the lone team without a WCC defeat - on Saturday.
• There are five other matches where a ranked team plays a road match against a squad receiving votes in this week's poll. On Friday, No. 5 Stanford is at Oregon State, and No. 13 USC at Washington State. No. 1 Penn State will be at Michigan State - the first team outside the rankings - on Saturday, when 12th-ranked UCLA plays Washington State and No. 14 Cal takes on Oregon State, as well.
• There will be seven matches that feature some television coverage, though four of those will be shown on a tape-delayed basis and the other three are on local channels.

WEEKEND SCOREBOARD WATCH
Friday, October 16
No. 17 Florida State at Maryland, 5:30 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 1 Penn State at No. 11 Michigan, 7 p.m. - TV: ESPN2 (airs Sunday at 1 p.m. ET) | Live Stats
No. 9 Florida at Auburn, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 20 Saint Louis at Xavier, 7 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
Georgetown at Marquette, 7 p.m. - TV: MUTV | Free Video | Live Stats
No. 6 Minnesota at No. 10 Illinois, 7:30 p.m. - TV: Big Ten Network (airs Sunday at 7 p.m.) | Live Stats
Arkansas at No. 24 LSU, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 12 UCLA at No. 4 Washington, 9 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
No. 5 Stanford at Oregon State, 10 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
No. 14 California at No. 15 Oregon, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 16 USC at Washington State, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 18 Arizona at Arizona State, 10 p.m. - TV: FSN (delayed) | Live Stats
No. 25 Long Beach State at No. 21 UC Irvine, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
Saturday, October 17
No. 19 Baylor at Oklahoma, 1 p.m. - Live Stats
Colorado at No. 22 Texas A&M, 3 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
Saint Mary's at No. 23 San Diego, 4 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
No. 1 Penn State at Michigan State, 6:30 p.m. - Live Stats
Ohio State at No. 11 Michigan, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 20 Saint Louis at Dayton, 7 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
No. 2 Texas at Texas Tech, 7:30 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 7 Nebraska at Missouri, 7:30 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 6 Minnesota at Northwestern, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 8 Kentucky at Mississippi State, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 16 USC at No. 4 Washington, 10 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
No. 5 Stanford at No. 15 Oregon, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 12 UCLA at Washington State, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 14 California at Oregon State, 10 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
UC Riverside at No. 21 UC Irvine, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
Cal State Northridge at No. 25 Long Beach State, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
Portland State at Northern Arizona, 10 p.m. - TV: Universityhouse & FSN (both delayed) | Live Stats
New Mexico State at No. 3 Hawai'i, 1 a.m. - TV: KFVE | Live Stats
Sunday, October 18
No. 17 Florida State at Boston College, 1 p.m. - Live Stats
Houston at UCF, 1 p.m. - TV: Bright House Sports Network | Live Stats
No. 9 Florida at Georgia, 1:30 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
No. 8 Kentucky at Alabama, 2:30 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
Mississippi at No. 24 LSU, 2:30 p.m. - Live Stats

Iowa State's Rachel Hockaday

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
A Look at Last Night's Highlights
There were two big matchups of nationally-ranked teams last night in Big 12 action, but both of those ended in sweeps. No. 13 Iowa State got 15 kills from sophomore outside hitter Rachel Hockaday and edged No. 22 Texas A&M by scores of 26-24, 25-21, 26-24, while No. 7 Nebraska won 28-26, 25-17, 25-17 on the road against No. 17 Baylor. Junior libero Kayla Banwarth had 22 digs for the Huskers, while junior setter Sydney Anderson led NU to a .320 hitting mark.

The other ranked teams that played on Wednesday had little trouble. No. 2 Texas moved to 13-0 with a 25-16, 25-22, 25-12 win at Kansas. Senior All-America outside hitter Destinee Hooker had 18 kills and sophomore Michelle Kocher set the Longhorns to a .356 attack percentage. Senior libero Ashley Edinger had 19 digs in leading No. 10 Illinois to a 25-20, 25-16, 25-19 victory against Northwestern. No. 4 Hawai'i had its scheduled match against Louisiana Tech postponed until Monday when severe weather cancelled the Bulldogs' scheduled flights to Honolulu.

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Jordana Price and Florida State are No. 2 in the RPI

The first edition of the official NCAA RPI came out this week. You can view it here. Below are some observations:

• It shouldn't come as a huge surprise that Texas is atop the RPI, since the Longhorns are unbeaten and eight of their victories have come against ranked teams. The more interesting thing is that two-time defending NCAA champion and current national No. 1 Penn State is not second in the RPI. Instead, the Nittany Lions - riding an NCAA-record 82-match winning streak - are third. Florida State - which is ranked 17th - is second in the RPI. The Seminoles are 15-2, with their defeats both coming in five sets - against Florida and Georgia Tech. FSU's top wins have come against Illinois, Notre Dame and Duke.
• Both Arizona and LSU also are considerably higher in the RPI than in the AVCA poll. The Wildcats are ranked 18th, but sixth in the RPI - while LSU moved into the rankings at 24th this week, but is 11th in the RPI.
• There are four teams that appear in the top 20 of the RPI but are not ranked in the AVCA poll: Michigan State (14th), Notre Dame (16th), Florida International (18th) and Tennessee (20th).
• Ohio is 24th in the RPI, but is not even receiving votes (and appearing on multiple ballots) in the AVCA poll.
• Four of the top seven teams in the RPI are from the Big Ten: No. 3 Penn State, No. 4 Illinois, No. 5 Michigan and No. 7 Minnesota.
• Hawai'i is ranked third in this week's AVCA poll, but the Rainbow Wahine are just 25th in the first RPI.
• Other teams appearing considerably lower in the RPI than in the AVCA poll include Stanford (ranked 5th; RPI of 17th), Nebraska (7th; 27th), UCLA (12th; 26th), Saint Louis (20th; 33rd), UC Irvine (21st; 54th) and San Diego (23rd; 52nd).
• If the NCAA Championship field was determined based soley on this RPI listing, and you assume that each conference's automatic bid goes to its highest-ranked team - then the last four teams to make the field as at-large participants would be Northwestern, Middle Tennessee, Georgia Tech and Miami (Fla.). The first four teams out would be Kansas, San Diego, Virginia Tech and UC Irvine.
• A field determined in that way would include nine teams each from the Big Ten and the Pac-10, as well as six from the Big 12, four each from the ACC and SEC, plus three from the Missouri Valley Conference and two each from the Atlantic 10, BIG EAST, Big West, Mountain West and Sun Belt. All other conferences would have just one participant.

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Kanani Danielson and the Rainbow Wahine have their highest ranking in five years

The seventh in-season edition of the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 was released on Monday. You can view it here. Here are a few notes:

• Big victories last weekend propelled Texas A&M (22nd) and LSU (24th) into the Top 25 this week, with both Michigan State (18th last week) and Washington State (25th) dropping out following 0-2 weekends.
• Texas A&M is in the rankings for the first time since Sept. 10, 2007, and it is the highest ranking for the Aggies since they were 20th on Sept. 19, 2005. LSU reenters the poll for the first time since Sept. 1, 2008.
• The Pac-10 still leads all conferences with seven ranked teams (all at 18th or higher), while the Big 12 boasts a season-high five squads in the rankings this week. The Big Ten has a season low of four teams in the rankings, but all of them are among the top 11. The SEC has a season-high three teams ranked while the Big West is the only other league with multiple ranked squads.
• For the seventh consecutive week, the Big Ten has three teams - No. 1 Penn State, No. 6 Minnesota and No. 10 Illinois - ranked among the top 10.
• The biggest upward movers this week were UCLA and Arizona, which both rose four spots. The Bruins are now 12th and the Wildcats are 18th, which matches a season high. The largest drop was by Long Beach State, which is down five positions to 25th.
• Penn State is No. 1 for the 31st consecutive poll - an AVCA record - since taking over the top spot on Oct. 29, 2007, while Texas has been No. 2 in every poll this season (which matches the highest ranking in program history).
• PSU received 53 first-place votes (five more than last week), while UT got seven (down two from last week). This is the first poll all season in which only two teams are receiving first-place votes - as Washington had garnered at least one in every previous edition.
• Hawai'i slid up a spot to third this week - which marks the highest ranking for the Rainbow Wahine since Dec. 6, 2004.
• Kentucky climbed two more spots to eighth, which is the highest listing for the Wildcats since Oct. 5, 1993.
• Florida State moved up two spots to 17th to match the highest ranking in program history, first done on Oct. 12, 1993, and also done two weeks ago.
• Though no teams from the Missouri Valley Conference are ranked, three league members - Northern Iowa (listed 31st), Missouri State (T-34th) and Wichita State (36th) - are receiving votes.
• Florida International is receiving votes in this week's poll, listed in a tie for 40th with nine points. It is just the second time in history that the Panthers have received votes in the AVCA poll.

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The latest edition of NCAA statistics also were released on Monday. The complete listings can be found here. The Division I leaders in each category are below.

TEAM
Service Aces - Georgia State, 2.22
Assists - Texas A&M, 14.25
Blocks - Texas, 3.21
Digs - NJIT, 20.82
Hitting Percentage - Penn State, .421
Kills - Penn State, 15.07
Winning Percentage - Penn State and Texas, 1.000
INDIVIDUAL
Service Aces - Heather Meyers, Oregon, 0.70
Assists - Alisha Glass, Penn State, 12.20
Blocks - Alli Arbogast, USF, 1.69
Digs - Sabrina Baby, NJIT, 6.63
Hitting Percentage - Arielle Wilson, Penn State, .576
Kills - Yun Yi Zhang, Temple, 5.64

Megan Hodge had 21 kills in Penn State's sweep

Two of the remaining unbeatens faced difficult road tests over the weekend. One came through unscathed and the other fell in five. Top-ranked Penn State was up to the challenge again, sweeping No. 5 Minnesota 26-24, 25-21, 25-14 in front of 4,785 fans to extend its NCAA-record winning streak to 82 matches. The Nittany Lions were led by three-time All-America outside hitter Megan Hodge, who pounded 21 kills on .340 hitting and 11 digs. Senior setter Alisha Glass helped PSU to a .328 team hitting mark. Penn State has won 10 straight against the Gophers, including five consecutive sweeps.

Third-ranked Washington was defeated for the first time this season, losing in five (19-25, 25-15, 23-25, 25-23, 15-12) against No. 7 Stanford. The Huskies had won 46 consecutive sets to start the season before the Cardinal broke through in the second frame of the match. Senior middle blocker Janet Okogbaa led Stanford with a career-best 21 kills on .528 hitting and was in on seven of the team's 15 blocks. Both teams hit well, as freshman setter Karissa Cook led Stanford to a .257 mark, and junior Jenna Hagglund's UW attack finished at .254. The Huskies' serving was a big factor, as UW made 17 service errors, but managed just three aces.

The Cardinal beat No. 25 Washington State 25-23, 20-25, 25-22, 25-22 on Friday, thanks to 20 kills on .354 hitting from junior outside hitter Alix Klineman and 19 kills from her classmate, Cassidy Lichtman. Stanford - the two-time defending Pac-10 champs - dropped its conference opener, but has since reeled off four consecutive victories, all against nationally-ranked opponents.

Hagglund led Washington to a .490 attack percentage in a 25-16, 25-22, 25-23 victory over No. 15 California on Friday. Junior outside hitter Kindra Carlson had 19 kills on .471 hitting for UW, while junior Carli Lloyd set Cal to a .349 mark. The Golden Bears ended a three-match skid with a 25-14, 25-19, 25-20 win against No. 25 Washington State on Saturday. Lloyd's offense hit .396, with senior outside hitter Hana Cutura posting 19 kills on .567 hitting.

No. 22 Arizona also ended a three-match losing streak this weekend, overcoming a pair of outstanding individual efforts en route to two victories. Oregon State senior outside hitter Rachel Rourke had 29 kills on Friday, but Arizona used 96 digs to pull out a 25-27, 25-20, 25-21, 24-26, 15-6 win. On Saturday, it was Oregon senior outside hitter Sonja Newcombe who registered 26 kills, but Arizona junior setter Paige Weber orchestrated a balanced and potent attack that had a .302 hitting percentage and featured five players with double-figure kills.

The other matchup of ranked teams over the weekend saw No. 16 UCLA gain a sweep of 13th-ranked USC at home in front of 3,180 fans. Senior outside hitter Kaitlin Sather had 15 kills, while sophomore libero Lainey Gera finished with 23 digs.

Sixth-ranked Florida had won 26 in a row against LSU before being swept by the Tigers on Sunday night, 28-26, 25-20, 25-22. Senior Sam Dabbs set the Tigers to a .333 hitting mark, while senior middle blocker Brittnee Cooper posted 18 kills on 26 error-less swings for a .692 hitting mark. It was LSU's first victory over Florida since 1991.

Allison Wack and Wisconsin posted two impressive wins

Heading into the weekend, Wisconsin found itself with a 6-7 overall record and near the bottom of the Big Ten standings with a 1-3 league mark. But the Badgers had one of the most-impressive weekends of anyone, sweeping No. 18 Michigan State on Friday and then knocking off eighth-ranked Michigan in four sets on Saturday. The Badgers won 25-16, 27-25, 29-27 in front of a crowd of 3,566 against the Spartans, as senior outside hitter Brittney Dolgner posted 15 kills on .444 hitting. UW then delighted a crowd of 4,601 in a 26-28, 25-23, 25-18, 25-21 win against the Wolverines that saw Allison Wack register 18 kills on .472 hitting.

Another team that came into the weekend at 1-3 in Big Ten play, Iowa, also played well. The Hawkeyes nearly pulled off an upset of No. 8 Michigan on Friday before the Wolverines rallied for a five-set win. Then Iowa dominated 18th-ranked Michigan State 25-14, 25-15, 25-19 on Sunday, as junior Mara Hilgenberg set her offense to a .356 hitting mark.

Texas A&M, the first team outside the Top 25, got a four-set (25-18, 31-29, 12-25, 25-23) road upset victory against No. 17 Baylor in front of a record crowd of 3,022. Senior outside hitter Sarah Ammerman had 20 kills for TAMU. Pacific also notched an upset of a ranked team, defeating No. 20 Long Beach State 25-16, 22-25, 25-22, 25-22. Senior setter Olivia Riley helped the Tigers to a .366 hitting mark, as senior outside hitter Mallori Gibson had 21 kills on .400 hitting and junior outside hitter Svenja Engelhardt notched 20 kills on .459 hitting. Senior outside hitter Naomi Washington had 20 kills in defeat for The Beach.

Other noteworthy results included No. 2 Texas remaining unbeaten with a 27-25, 26-24, 25-15 victory over Oklahoma, and No. 19 Florida State defeating Duke in five sets (25-18, 25-27, 25-20, 23-25, 15-10). The Seminoles had lost 12 in a row against the Blue Devils - who had been the last team unbeaten in ACC action.

The sixth in-season edition of the AVCA Division I Coaches Top 25 was released yesterday. You can view it here. Here are a few notes about them:

• Washington State moved into the poll at 25th this week, marking the first national ranking for the Cougars since the preseason poll in 2003. Wichita State, which was 25th a week ago, fell out of the rankings. All of the other 24 teams retained their rankings.
• The Pac-10 now has a record eight of its 10 members listed in the top 25. No. 3 Washington leads the way and is followed by No. 7 Stanford, No. 11 Oregon, No. 13 USC, No. 15 California, No. 16 UCLA, No. 22 Arizona and No. 25 Washington State. Also, Oregon State is the third team listed outside of the top 25.
• The Big Ten has five ranked teams while the Big 12 has four and both the SEC and Big West have two. The top 10 is quite balanced, with three Big Ten teams, a pair each from the Pac-10, Big 12 and SEC and one WAC squad.
• It is the first time that the SEC has had multiple teams in the top 10 since Oct. 23, 2006, when Florida was seventh and LSU was 10th.
• The biggest upward movers this week were Kentucky and Michigan State, which both rose five spots. The Wildcats are now 10th - UK's highest ranking since 1993 - and the Spartans are 18th. The largest drop was by California, which slipped six positions to 15th.
• Penn State is No. 1 for the 30th consecutive poll - an AVCA record - since taking over the top spot on Oct. 29, 2007.
• Texas has been No. 2 in every poll this season, which matches the highest ranking in program history.
• The top three spots remained largely unchanged, though Texas and Washington both picked up a first-place vote that had gone to Penn State a week ago. The Nittany Lions still received 48 votes for the top spot, while the Longhorns got nine and UW received three.
• Minnesota rose three spots to fifth this week, which marks the highest ranking for the Gophers since Sept. 19, 2005.
• Baylor moved up two spots to 17th, which is the highest-ever listing for the Bears.
• Long Beach State also is up two to 20th, which marks the 49ers' highest ranking since the preseason poll in 2007.

The latest edition of NCAA statistics also were released yesterday. The complete listings can be found here. The Division I leaders in each category are below.

TEAM
Service Aces - Georgia State, 2.31
Assists - Iowa State, 14.20
Blocks - Idaho, 3.17
Digs - NJIT, 20.84
Hitting Percentage - Penn State, .436
Kills - Iowa State, 15.00
Winning Percentage - Penn State and Washington and Texas, 1.000
INDIVIDUAL
Service Aces - Heather Meyers, Oregon, 0.76
Assists - Kaylee Manns, Iowa State, 12.29
Blocks - Alli Arbogast, USF, 1.74
Digs - Sabrina Baby, NJIT, 6.58
Hitting Percentage - Arielle Wilson, Penn State, .575
Kills - Yun Yi Zhang, Temple, 5.64

Sarah Mendoza had 41 combined kills in Kentucky's wins

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
A Look Back at the Weekend Highlights
It was another exciting weekend of action, with many of the biggest matches not decided until a fifth set. One of the big winners was 11th-ranked Stanford, which picked up a pair of big road victories. The Cardinal beat No. 16 UCLA for the 17th straight time by scores of 20-25, 25-20, 25-21, 25-20 before sweeping 13th-ranked USC (25-23, 35-33, 25-18). Junior outside hitter Alix Klineman, an All-American in each of the past two seasons, led the way in both matches. She posted 23 kills, 10 digs and five blocks against the Bruins and had 24 kills on .357 hitting to go with 11 digs vs. the Women of Troy. The middle set of the latter match was a classic, with Stanford saving five set points before finally converting on its seventh set point with a Klineman kill.

No. 15 Kentucky had a weekend of ups and downs, but persevered to come out with a pair of five-set triumphs. The Wildcats traveled to fifth-ranked Florida on Friday and managed to win just nine points in the opening set. But UK would rally and eventually take a 9-25, 25-19, 23-25, 25-20, 15-11 victory. Junior Sarah Mendoza paced the Wildcats with 20 kills. It ended a 19-match losing streak in Gainesville and marked Kentucky's first win there in exactly 20 years and one day. On Sunday, Kentucky won the first two sets, but was stretched to the limit by South Carolina before finally prevailing 25-20, 25-21, 23-25, 19-25, 15-13. Mendoza had 21 more kills and 12 digs. Senior outside hitter Ivana Kujundzic had 22 kills and 12 digs for South Carolina. Kentucky is the lone SEC team to remain unbeaten in league play, at 4-0.

No. 12 Illinois also played a pair of five-setters on the road - but the Illini could manage just one victory. On Friday, 23rd-ranked Michigan State saved four match points in the fourth set and rallied for a 25-20, 20-25, 24-26, 28-26, 15-10 win over Illinois. The Fighting Illini dropped the first two sets the following evening against No. 6 Michigan, but senior outside hitter Kylie McCulley led Illinois back to a 21-25, 22-25, 25-20, 25-21, 15-11 win in which the U of I had a 15-3 blocking edge.

Both USC and UCLA managed to earn weekend splits with tough home wins over ninth-ranked California. The Trojans needed five sets to do so on Friday, saving three match points and finally converting on their fourth chance in a 22-25, 29-27, 25-19, 16-25, 22-20 decision. Both Jessica Gysin from USC and Cal's Mindi Wiley posted 21 kills in the match, while Trojan Alex Jupiter and Hana Cutura of the Bears had 19 apiece. On Saturday, UCLA beat Cal 25-20, 25-19, 22-25, 25-22.

One of the biggest accomplishments of the weekend was turned in by Iowa, despite the fact that the Hawkeyes won just a single set in two matches. That set, though, was the third frame on Friday against top-ranked Penn State in what would eventually be a 25-16, 25-10, 24-26, 25-18 win for the Nittany Lions. The Hawkeyes saved a match point en route to ending Penn State's streak of 141 consecutive set victories in regular-season play - a string that reached back to Nov. 27, 2004, when Michigan took a set from PSU. Senior setter Alisha Glass helped Penn State to .381 hitting in the match and her classmate, Megan Hodge, had 20 kills. The Lions then swept Wisconsin (25-18, 25-20, 25-16) on Saturday to tie their own Big Ten record for consecutive conference victories, at 49. PSU has won an NCAA-record 80 in a row overall.

Third-ranked Washington is now the only Division I school to have yet to be defeated in a set this season, as the Huskies delivered two more impressive wins over the weekend. UW was challenged early against Arizona State, but eventually prevailed 25-23, 25-16, 25-22. Junior setter Jenna Hagglund and Washington then dominated No. 18 Arizona, outhitting the Wildcats .413-.094 en route to a 25-15, 25-13, 25-16 win. UW has won all 42 sets in its 14 matches this season (including four against ranked opponents), by an average score of 25.0-16.7. Washington's closest set was the second one against Oregon on Sept. 25, when the Ducks actually held a set point before the Huskies prevailed 26-24.

The other unbeaten team remained that way, as Texas won 25-20, 25-21, 25-21 at Kansas State. Senior setter Ashley Engle had 10 kills on 12 attempts herself and also led the Longhorns to .392 hitting.

There was even more great action in the Pac-10, as Oregon State upset No. 7 Oregon in five sets, 25-21, 21-25, 10-25, 25-22, 16-14, in front of a Gill Coliseum record crowd of 3,576. Beavers' senior outside hitter Rachel Rourke had 29 kills, including seven in the final set - in which OSU survived a match point. One of the other unranked but dangerous conference squads, Washington State, turned in an outstanding weekend by sweeping 18th-ranked Arizona 25-21, 25-22, 26-24 on Friday, despite 18 kills from Arizona's Tiffany Owens. The Cougars then rallied for a five-set (25-19, 24-26, 13-25, 25-17, 15-10) victory against Arizona State. WSU sophomore outside hitter Meagan Ganzer had 20 kills in the match, while freshman libero Oceana Bush registered a school-record 39 digs. Junior outside hitter Sarah Reaves pounded 26 kills for ASU.

Freshman rightside hitter Monique Mead had 19 kills and 14 digs to lead Georgia Tech to a five-set (19-25, 27-25, 15-25, 27-25, 16-14) win at No. 17 Florida State. The Seminoles had their 11-match winning streak snapped despite senior Nikki Baker setting them to a .336 hitting percentage (compared to .190 for the Yellow Jackets). FSU was also challenged by Clemson, but used 24 kills from senior middle blocker Brianna Barry to grab a 26-24, 25-20, 23-25, 20-25, 15-7 win.

Two other ranked teams were upset over the weekend, as well. No. 20 San Diego was swept (25-18, 25-23, 25-23) on the road by Pepperdine, which had lost four straight. Both teams hit well, with senior Kiah Fiers leading the Waves to a .365 mark and junior Kelsi Myers setting USD to a .316 attack percentage. Creighton earned its first-ever win over a nationally-ranked team with a 26-24, 25-18, 23-25, 25-20 win against No. 25 Wichita State. Junior libero Nayka Benitez (36 digs) and senior middle blocker Jessica Houts (nine blocks) led the Blue Jays defense, which held the Shockers to .059 hitting en route to improving to 6-9. No. 22 Long Beach State avoided the upset bug with a five-set win over UC Santa Barbara. Senior outside hitter Naomi Washington had 23 kills for the 49ers.

Indiana's Ashley Benson had 21 kills vs. Purdue

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
A Look Back at Last Night's Highlights
We were treated to a pair of five-set nationally-televised matches last night that produced some exciting volleyball. Oklahoma honored the memory of Javi Restrepo, the son of OU head coach Santiago Restrepo (read more here), and the Sooners - who entered the match having dropped 23 in a row against Nebraska - came out firing en route to taking the opening set 25-17. Eventually, though, it was sophomore middle blocker Brooke Delano and freshman Hannah Werth who keyed a run in the fifth set that allowed the 10th-ranked Huskers to claim a 17-25, 26-24, 25-15, 25-27, 15-10 triumph. Werth led all players with 17 kills, while junior libero Kayla Banwarth had 26 digs.

Junior middle blocker Ashley Benson and freshman outside hitter Jordan Haverly led Indiana to a 25-22, 25-17, 17-25, 17-25, 15-13 victory at Purdue (which was just three spots outside of the Top 25 this week). Benson had a match-high 21 kills on .349 hitting, while Haverly posted 19 kills on .395 to help the Hoosiers to their first road win over their biggest rival since 2002.

No. 2 Texas also kept rolling with a 28-26, 25-20, 25-21 win against the second team outside of the rankings, Texas A&M. Senior outside hitter Destinee Hooker had 17 kills on .469 hitting and 12 digs to lead the Longhorns. The Aggies did hold a 5.5-4 edge in blocks against Texas, which came into the match leading Division I in the category.

WHAT'S IN STORE
This Week's Top Matchups
The weekend figures to have several more interesting matchups. Tomorrow we'll have a more-detailed listing of the big matches (including ways to follow them), but below are some notes about the action that looms.

• A clash of the titans in the SEC is set for Friday evening, as No. 5 Florida (10-1, 4-0 SEC) and 15th-ranked Kentucky (13-1, 3-0) - the SEC's only two ranked teams and the only squads still unbeaten in its league play - will play in Gainesville. It also is Gators GO GREEN Night.
• Kentucky - sporting its highest national ranking since 1993 - rallied for a five-set victory at home against Florida last November to snap a 38-match winning streak by the Gators in the series. UK has lost 19 straight at Florida, with the last Wildcats' victory coming in 1989.
• The Pac-10 - which has seven of its members ranked in the top 18 this week and the other three all receiving votes - is, not surprisingly, rife with great matchups. The Los Angeles area will play host to four clashes of ranked teams, as No. 9 California (8-3, 1-0) and 11th-ranked Stanford (7-4, 0-1) head South to face 13th-ranked USC (12-2, 1-1) and No. 16 UCLA (11-4, 1-1). The Bears and Trojans play on Friday night at the same time that the Bruins try to snap a 16-match skid against the Cardinal. On Saturday evening, it will be Cal-UCLA and Stanford-USC.
• No. 12 Illinois (9-2, 1-1) - which was swept by Penn State to wind up last weekend - faces a difficult road trip. The Fighting Illini will be at No. 23 Michigan State (12-2, 0-2) on Friday and at sixth-ranked Michigan (14-1, 2-0) on Saturday.
• No. 3 Washington (12-0, 2-0) figures to face the toughest test among the unbeatens, as the Huskies welcome Arizona State (11-3, 1-1) - which is receiving votes - on Friday and 18th-ranked Arizona (12-1, 1-1) on Saturday.
• Top-ranked Penn State (14-0, 2-0) looks to extend its NCAA-record 78-match winning streak with home matches against Iowa (9-5, 1-1) and Wisconsin (5-6, 0-2).
• Second-ranked Texas (10-0, 5-0) hits the road to face Kansas State (6-7, 0-3) on Friday.
• UC Santa Barbara (11-2, 2-0) - which turned in a thrilling come-from-behind upset of UC Irvine last weekend and is now the first team outside of the Top 25 - has a tough road trip ahead. The Gauchos will play at No. 22 Long Beach State (8-3, 1-0) on Friday and then take on Cal State Fullerton (9-5, 0-1) - which upset UCLA a few weeks ago - on Saturday.
• Two of the most-efficient hitters in the country will go against each other on Sunday, as Indiana junior Ashley Benson - who came into the week ranking ninth nationally in hitting percentage (.427) - will face Minnesota junior Lauren Gibbemeyer (6th, .446) in Bloomington. Both teams also rank among the national top 20 in team blocking; Minnesota (11-3, 2-0) is 10th (2.88), while IU (13-4, 2-1) is 19th (2.69). The Gophers open the weekend with a road match against Purdue (9-5, 1-2).
• Sophomore Darlene Ramdin of St. John's (8-10, 1-1) - who ranks third in Division I with 4.93 kills per set - will face a challenge on Sunday against USF (9-3, 2-0). The Bulls are seventh in the nation in team blocking (2.93 per set).
• A couple other noteworthy matches: seventh-ranked Oregon (11-1, 1-1) heads to Oregon State (9-5, 0-2) on Friday and No. 20 San Diego (8-3, 0-0) is at Pepperdine (7-5, 0-0) on Saturday.

TODAY'S SCOREBOARD WATCH
Complete Top 25 and TV Schedule, Plus Some Other Big Matches (All Times Eastern)
No. 4 Hawai'i at Louisiana Tech, 8 p.m. - Watch Free | Live Stats
Utah at UNLV, 9:30 p.m. - TV: The Mtn. | Live Stats
No. 20 San Diego at Loyola Marymount, 10 p.m. - Watch Free | Live Stats
Saint Mary's at Pepperdine, 10 p.m. - Live Stats

Penn State's Arielle Wilson Courtesy Penn State Athletic Communications

In some ways, this past weekend crystallized something that had been becoming apparent throughout the entire non-conference season: there are three teams - Penn State, Texas and Washington - in college volleyball that appear to be standing above the rest. After all, the weekend began with eight unbeaten teams remaining in Division I, but wound up with just three - the schools that have held the top three positions in the AVCA Top 25 for the last four weeks. All of them faced difficult road matchups last weekend - and each appeared to barely break a sweat en route to victory. Check back later this week for a comparison of these teams. But for now, let's take a look at what they did over the weekend, as well as some other noteworthy results.

Top-ranked Penn State faced a nationally-ranked team for just the second time this season on Saturday evening (and the first provided somewhat of a scare to the Nittany Lions who - gasp! - nearly dropped a set before recovering for a 29-27, 25-18, 25-14 win at then-No. 20 Saint Louis during the season's opening weekend). But PSU cut through 15th-ranked Illinois with ease in a 25-11, 25-17, 25-17 decision. Senior setter and two-time All-American Alisha Glass led her offense to 48 kills - spread among just four players - on a .451 attack percentage. Freshman Darcy Dorton had a team-high 14 kills on .545 hitting, while junior middle blocker Arielle Wilson converted 13 kills on just 16 attempts (.750) and senior outside hitter Megan Hodge - a three-time first-team All-American and the Most Outstanding Player in both of the last two NCAA Championships - finished with 12 kills and 10 digs. The Lions also limited Illinois to .147 hitting and had 16 more digs than the Illini - who got 16 kills from sophomore outside hitter Michelle Bartsch. PSU has won 78 consecutive matches, an NCAA record.

Second-ranked Texas dealt No. 6 Nebraska a rare home defeat on Saturday afternoon, by scores of 25-22, 18-25, 25-17, 25-17. It ended the Cornhuskers' 82-match winning streak at the NU Coliseum (Nebraska's NCAA-record overall home winning streak was snapped at 90 by UCLA earlier this month at the Devaney Center). UT also became the first Big 12 team to win in Lincoln since Missouri did so in 2003 (ending a 56-match streak) and earned its first victory at Nebraska since 1988. Senior outside hitter and two-time All-American Destinee Hooker led the way with 15 kills on .308 hitting to go with 12 digs. The Longhorns held Nebraska to a .132 hitting mark in the match. Eight of Texas' nine victories this season have come against ranked teams.

No. 3 Washington posted its third sweep of a top-10 team this season with a 25-18, 26-24, 25-19 victory against seventh-ranked Oregon in a battle of unbeatens on Friday evening. Junior outside hitter Kindra Carlson led the Huskies with 13 kills, while senior libero Tamari Miyashiro - who became UW's all-time leader in digs later in the weekend - had 18 digs to help hold Oregon to .143 hitting. Washington also served up 11 aces (and only four errors) against a Ducks team that had been leading Division I in service aces per set. Oregon did get 17 kills and 11 digs from senior outside hitter Sonja Newcombe. The Huskies have yet to drop a set in 12 matches this season.

In another big matchup, senior All-America outside hitter Hana Cutura had 21 kills to lead No. 12 California past 10th-ranked Stanford in five sets (19-25, 25-20, 20-25, 25-19, 15-12) in front of 4,189 fans. Junior All-America outside hitter Alix Klineman had 23 for the Cardinal, which also got a triple-double (14 kills, 16 assists, 11 digs) from junior Cassidy Licthman.

UCSB's Rebecca Saraceno Courtesy UC Santa Barbara Athletic Communications

Pac-10 parity also was on display in Arizona, as No. 13 USC, No. 14 UCLA, No. 19 Arizona and Arizona State all went 1-1. Junior outside hitter Sarah Reaves (15 kills, 10 digs) led ASU to a 25-16, 25-22, 25-22 upset of UCLA, but the Bruins would rebound for a four-set road victory (22-25, 27-25, 25-14, 25-13) at Arizona. Junior outside hitter Dicey McGraw had 20 kills and 15 digs for UCLA in the latter contest. The Wildcats posted a 25-21, 25-23, 22-25, 25-21 triumph against USC, with junior outside hitter Tiffany Owens registering 16 kills and 13 digs. The Women of Troy then got a huge night from sophomore outside hitter Alex Jupiter - who had 31 kills on .433 hitting and 20 digs - to beat the Sun Devils 25-22, 21-25, 25-21, 25-22. Reaves had 20 kills and 10 digs in that match.

In the Big Ten, No. 16 Michigan State dropped a pair of matches in the Hoosier State after opening the season with 12 straight wins. Purdue beat the Spartans 25-14, 25-21, 19-25, 25-21 on Friday, while Indiana topped MSU 25-19, 18-25, 25-23, 25-18 the following night, with IU junior middle blocker Ashley Benson leading all players with 14 kills on .545 hitting. The Boilermakers almost made it a pair of upsets, but ended up falling in five against No. 8 Michigan, 17-25, 25-23, 15-25, 25-20, 15-13. Senior outside hitter Juliana Paz led the Wolverines with 18 kills.

No. 20 Wichita State had won 36 straight regular-season matches and 38 in a row on the road against Missouri Valley Conference foes before Missouri State prevailed 22-25, 25-18, 22-25, 25-18, 15-6 on Friday evening. Senior outside hitter Addie Foley had 18 kills and 15 digs to lead the Bears, while senior outside hitter Emily Stockman posted 27 kills and 12 digs in the losing effort for WSU.

UC Santa Barbara turned in the rally of the weekend, as the Gauchos were down two sets and 19-11 in the third before coming back for a 23-25, 27-29, 27-25, 25-16, 15-9 upset victory against No. 21 UC Irvine on Saturday. Senior outside hitter Rebecca Saraceno led UCSB's effort with 29 kills and 15 digs.

Purdue sophomore middle hitter Tiffany Fisher (courtesy Purdue Sports Information)

We have finally reached the first weekend where virtually every conference will feature league matchups - meaning familiar rivalries will be renewed all over the country. There are lots of intriguing matchups waiting for us, and below are some notes about some of them - followed by a listing of the entire Top 25 schedule, as well as some other big matches slated for the weekend.

• The nation's top three teams - Penn State, Texas and Washington - have each been quite impressive en route to remaining unbeaten this season. But all three now face stiff road tests. The Longhorns take on No. 6 Nebraska - which recently had its NCAA-record 90-match home winning streak ended - on Saturday afternoon, while the Nittany Lions will be at No. 15 Illinois for an evening match. The Huskies have a Friday night match against No. 7 Oregon in a battle of undefeated teams.
• The Pac-10 schedule is riddled with great matchups, including four contests between ranked teams and two battles of unbeatens. No. 13 USC and 14th-ranked UCLA go East to take on No. 19 Arizona and Arizona State (10-2), while third-ranked Washington and undefeated Washington State (11-0) head South to face No. 7 Oregon and Oregon State (9-3). Also, No. 10 Stanford and No. 12 California hook up in Berkeley.
• Purdue - which is 8-3 and the fifth team outside of the Top 25 this week - faces a big home weekend. The Boilermakers will play host to 16th-ranked and unbeaten Michigan State on Friday before welcoming No. 8 Michigan on Sunday.
• Two other potential matchups of note come on Saturday: Kansas State at No. 11 Iowa State and UC Santa Barbara at No. 21 UC Irvine.
• There are eight Division I teams (including four in the Pac-10) that remain unbeaten. Six of those - No. 1 Penn State, No. 2 Texas, No. 3 Washington, No. 7 Oregon, No. 16 Michigan State and No. 19 Arizona - are currently in the Top 25. Another, Washington State, is receiving votes in the poll. The other undefeated team is Southern Illinois, which stands 11-0 on the strength of a trio of five-set victories. The Salukis hit the road to face Northern Iowa (which is receiving votes) and Bradley this weekend.
• There are eight televised matches this weekend. Three are on local channels, while two others are tape-delayed. See below for details.

WEEKEND SCOREBOARD WATCH
Complete Top 25 Schedule, Plus Some Other Big Matches (All Times Eastern)
Friday, September 25
Mississippi State at No. 5 Florida, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 8 Michigan at Indiana, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 16 Michigan State at Purdue, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
Mississippi at No. 17 Kentucky, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
Virginia Tech at No. 18 Florida State, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 23 Saint Louis at Rhode Island, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 1 Penn State at Northwestern, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
Wisconsin at No. 9 Minnesota, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
Ohio State at No. 15 Illinois, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 20 Wichita State at Missouri State, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
Southern Illinois at Northern Iowa, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 3 Washington at No. 7 Oregon, 10 p.m.
No. 10 Stanford at No. 12 California, 10 p.m. - TV: Fox Sports Net (airs on Sunday) - Live Stats
No. 13 USC at No. 19 Arizona, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 14 UCLA at Arizona State, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 21 UC Irvine at Cal Poly, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
San Diego State at No. 22 San Diego, 10 p.m. - Watch Free - Live Stats
Washington State at Oregon State, 10 p.m. - Live Stats

Saturday, September 26
No. 2 Texas at No. 6 Nebraska, 2 p.m. - TV: NET - Watch Free - Live Stats
No. 23 Saint Louis at Fordham, 2 p.m. - Live Stats
Kansas at No. 24 Baylor, 2 p.m. - Live Stats
Kansas State at No. 11 Iowa State, 3 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 16 Michigan State at Indiana, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 1 Penn State at No. 15 Illinois, 8 p.m. - TV: Big Ten Network - Live Stats
Iowa at No. 9 Minnesota, 8 p.m. - Live Stats
Southern Illinois at Bradley, 8 p.m.
No. 13 USC at Arizona State, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 14 UCLA at Arizona, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 21 UC Irvine at UC Santa Barbara, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 25 Long Beach State at Cal State Fullerton, 10 p.m. - Live Stats
Idaho at No. 4 Hawai'I, 1 a.m. - TV: KFVE - Live Stats

Sunday, September 27
Virginia at No. 18 Florida State, Noon - Live Stats
No. 8 Michigan at Purdue, 1 p.m. - Live Stats
Alabama at No. 5 Florida, 1:30 p.m. - Live Stats
Arkansas at No. 17 Kentucky, 1:30 p.m. - TV: CWKYT - Live Stats
UCF at Marshall, 2 p.m. - TV: CBS College Sports (airs on Wednesday at 7 p.m.) - Live Stats
Mississippi State at South Carolina, 3 p.m. - TV: Fox Sports Net - Live Stats
Washington State at No. 7 Oregon, 4 p.m.
No. 3 Washington at Oregon State, 5 p.m. - Watch Free - Live Stats
Mississippi at Tennessee, 5 p.m. - TV: ESPNU - Live Stats