College volleyball games this week include a Sunday heavyweight slate: unbeaten No. 1 Nebraska faces No. 20 Washington, and No. 8 Wisconsin meets No. 13 Penn State. Friday brings No. 2 Pittsburgh, No. 5 SMU and No. 6 Tennessee into action too. With the regular season in its final month, every ranked result now shapes NCAA tournament seeding.
Quick summary
- Headliner: No. 1 Nebraska (21-0) vs. No. 20 Washington (15-4), Sunday, Nov. 8.
- Big Ten showdown: No. 8 Wisconsin vs. No. 13 Penn State, also Sunday.
- Friday’s ranked matchup: No. 22 North Carolina vs. No. 5 SMU in ACC play.
- Rankings: All ranks are from the latest AVCA Coaches Poll, covering games through Oct. 25. A new poll is due this week.
College Volleyball Games This Week: Where the Rankings Stand
The AVCA Coaches Poll on NCAA.com has Nebraska as a unanimous No. 1 with all 63 first-place votes and a 21-0 record. Pittsburgh (19-1) is No. 2, followed by Louisville (20-2), Florida (17-2) and SMU (16-4). Tennessee (No. 6), Kentucky (No. 7), Wisconsin (No. 8), BYU (No. 9) and Arizona State (No. 10) round out the top 10.
Two programs that started the year near the top have held their ground. Nebraska opened the season at No. 1 in the AVCA preseason poll, and Pittsburgh started at No. 4 before climbing to No. 2. For last week’s full breakdown, see our AVCA volleyball rankings, Week 9 recap.
Friday, Nov. 6: Ranked Teams in Action
Friday opens the college volleyball games this week with four matches involving ranked teams that have RallyFuel prediction pages.
Times are Eastern, from the NCAA.com scoreboard, and can change. Check school sites and local listings for streaming and TV.
No. 22 North Carolina vs. No. 5 SMU, 1 p.m. ET
A ranked-versus-ranked ACC match to open the day. SMU has climbed from No. 7 to No. 5, while North Carolina (14-4) moved up one spot to No. 22. A road upset here would be one of the best wins on the Tar Heels’ resume.
🗳️ Vote: Make your prediction for SMU vs. North Carolina on RallyFuel
Mississippi State vs. No. 6 Tennessee, 6:30 p.m. ET
Tennessee (16-3) jumped from No. 9 to No. 6 in the latest poll. Mississippi State is unranked, so this is a chance for the Vols to keep the momentum rolling before the SEC stretch run.
🗳️ Vote: Make your prediction for Tennessee vs. Mississippi State on RallyFuel
Duke vs. No. 2 Pittsburgh, 7 p.m. ET
Pittsburgh has only one loss and has held the No. 2 spot. Duke is unranked, so this is a conference match the Panthers will want to handle cleanly.
🗳️ Vote: Make your prediction for Pittsburgh vs. Duke on RallyFuel
No. 14 Texas vs. Missouri, 8 p.m. ET
Texas (10-7) has the most losses of any team in the top 15, so every SEC win counts for its seeding case. Missouri is unranked, which makes this a match the Longhorns are expected to win.
🗳️ Vote: Make your prediction for Missouri vs. Texas on RallyFuel
Team pages: SMU, North Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Pittsburgh, Duke, Texas and Missouri.
Sunday, Nov. 8: Two Big Ten Showdowns
Start times for both Sunday matches were still listed as TBA on the NCAA.com scoreboard.
No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 20 Washington
Nebraska is the only unbeaten team in the top 25 and received every first-place vote in the latest poll. Washington (15-4) has moved up to No. 20 and gets a shot at the biggest upset of the season so far. Even a single set taken from the Huskers would be notable given how dominant they have been.
🗳️ Vote: Make your prediction for Washington vs. Nebraska on RallyFuel
No. 13 Penn State vs. No. 8 Wisconsin
Two Big Ten programs heading in different directions in the poll: Penn State (15-5) climbed from No. 16 to No. 13, while Wisconsin (14-6) slipped from No. 6 to No. 8. The result will matter for Big Ten standings and for each team’s case for a top-16 NCAA seed.
🗳️ Vote: Make your prediction for Wisconsin vs. Penn State on RallyFuel
Follow the Sunday teams on RallyFuel: Nebraska volleyball, Washington volleyball, Wisconsin volleyball and Penn State volleyball.
Why This Week Matters
November is when the college volleyball season tightens. Conference titles start to come into focus, and the NCAA tournament field takes shape at the end of the month. That makes each of the college volleyball games this week a data point for the selection committee. A loss to an unranked opponent can hurt a team’s seeding, while a win over a top-10 team can strengthen a bubble team’s case.
For a look at how RallyFuel users predicted earlier October matches, read our women’s volleyball predictions for Oct. 15-24.
FAQ
What are the biggest college volleyball games this week?
No. 1 Nebraska vs. No. 20 Washington and No. 8 Wisconsin vs. No. 13 Penn State on Sunday, Nov. 8, plus No. 22 North Carolina vs. No. 5 SMU on Friday, Nov. 6.
Who is No. 1 in college volleyball?
Nebraska is No. 1 in the AVCA Coaches Poll with a 21-0 record and all 63 first-place votes, covering games through Oct. 25.
When does the new AVCA poll come out?
The AVCA Coaches Poll updates weekly during the season, so a new edition follows the weekend’s games. The ranks in this preview come from the poll covering games through Oct. 25.
What time do the Sunday matches start?
Nebraska vs. Washington and Wisconsin vs. Penn State were listed as TBA on the NCAA.com scoreboard. Check the school athletics sites before match day.
Follow College Athletes on RallyFuel
Make free predictions on every ranked match at RallyFuel women’s volleyball predictions, follow players in the athlete directory, and see how programs compare on the RallyFuel NIL Score leaderboard.
