Washington Finishes Sixth In Final AVCA Poll
December 21, 2010 | Volleyball
Dec. 21, 2010
LEXINGTON, Kent. - Husky volleyball head coach Jim McLaughlin has led Washington to yet another Top-10 finish, as the Dawgs came in sixth in the final American Volleyball Coaches Assocation poll, released today. This is the seventh Top-10 finish for the Huskies in the past eight years.
Washington capped its season with a 24-9 record, making a dramatic NCAA tournament run to the Elite Eight, where it fell to eventual NCAA runner-up California. The Huskies defeated three Top-25 teams on their home court, sweeping 23rd-ranked Michigan and 7th-ranked Hawaii, and then knocking off third-ranked and second-seeded Nebraska, 3-1, to reach the Regional final.
Penn State came out on top for the fourth straight year, defeating California in the final last Saturday. Four of the top-six teams in the final four hail from the Pac-10. After the Nittany Lions and Bears, USC comes in third, Texas is fourth, Stanford finishes fifth, and Washington is sixth. Nebraska checks in at No. 7, and Florida is No. 8 after entering the tourney ranked first. No. 9 Illinois and No. 10 Minnesota round out the final Top-10.
It was a five-spot jump for the Dawgs, as they entered the tournament ranked 11th, though they were not among the NCAA's top-16 seeded teams. Since 2003, the Huskies have finished in the Top-10 in the final rankings every year but 2009, when they wound up 13th after falling in the NCAA second round. The Elite Eight appearance was the sixth for McLaughlin's Huskies in the past eight years.
Final AVCA Top-25 (Points; Record)
1)
Penn State
1500
32-5
2) California 1439 30-4
3) Southern California 1364 29-5
4) Texas 1306 27-6
5) Stanford 1264 27-4
6) Washington 1153 24-9
7) Nebraska 1120 29-3
8) Florida 1031 29-2
9) Illinois 954 24-9
10) Minnesota 916 26-9
11) Purdue 882 24-11
12) UCLA 809 22-9
13) Hawai'i 744 28-3
14) Northern Iowa 616 31-3
15) Dayton 547 28-4
16) Colorado State 515 26-5
16) San Diego 485 24-6
18) Duke 454 27-7
19) Ohio State 388 24-12
20) Tulsa 345 31-3
21) Oklahoma 302 23-11
22) Missouri 264 22-11
23) Indiana 210 23-12
24) Tennessee 182 25-7
25) Iowa State 153 20-9
