MADISON – Wisconsin volleyball’s five-set disappointment against Washington has come at a cost in the polls.

The Badgers are No. 8 in the Oct. 26 release of the AVCA coaches poll, which is down two spots from their previous rank of No. 6.

The drop follows Wisconsin’s first home loss of the year at the hands of then-No. 21 Washington. The Huskies moved up one spot in the rankings after the upset in Madison. The Badgers then defeated unranked Michigan in four sets two days later.

Wisconsin remains the second-highest-ranked Big Ten team, trailing only No. 1 Nebraska. Other ranked Big Ten teams include No. 11 Purdue, No. 12 Oregon, No. 13 Penn State, No. 19 Indiana, No. 20 Washington, No. 21 Minnesota and No. 25 Michigan State.

UW has a 14-6 overall record and 8-2 Big Ten record so far in 2026. All six losses have been against teams ranked in the coaches poll at the time. UW is No. 4 in RPI, which carries weight with the NCAA selection committee.

The eighth-ranked Badgers will seek better results on the road against USC on Oct. 30 and UCLA on Nov. 1. Neither opponent is ranked.

Wisconsin middle blocker Jaela Auguste's attack attempt gets blocked during the Badgers' four-set win over Michigan at the UW Field House in Madison on Oct. 25, 2026.

Full AVCA coaches poll on Oct. 26

  1. Nebraska
  2. Pittsburgh
  3. Louisville
  4. Florida
  5. SMU
  6. Tennessee
  7. Kentucky
  8. Wisconsin
  9. BYU
  10. Arizona State
  11. Purdue
  12. Oregon
  13. Penn State
  14. Texas
  15. Kansas
  16. TCU
  17. Texas A&M
  18. Stanford
  19. Indiana
  20. Washington
  21. Minnesota
  22. North Carolina
  23. Vanderbilt
  24. Baylor
  25. Michigan State

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Where Wisconsin volleyball is ranked in AVCA poll after Washington loss

Source: Yahoo Sports