Volleyball Finishes Season No. 10 in Both Polls
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 | Volleyball
The Florida volleyball team, coming off a 27-4 overall record, its 18th consecutive Southeastern Conference Championship and an NCAA regional semifinal appearance, finished its 2008 season among the nation's top 10 for the 14th time in the last 18 years, as the Gators are ranked No. 10 in both the Bison/American Volleyball Coaches Association final poll and the Molten/Volleyball Magazine final poll, it was announced Tuesday.
The Gators, playing with the youngest team in Mary Wise's 18-year tenure as head coach with four freshmen and one redshirt freshman seeing regular match action, won their 18th consecutive SEC title, which marks the longest NCAA Division I volleyball regular-season title streak in the history of the sport. Florida advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 for the 17th time in the last 18 years.
The Gators have accumulated 18 consecutive top-15 national finishes, including 14 top-10 finishes and eight top-five finishes during that span. Florida's 14 top-10 finishes since 1991 are second only to Nebraska and Stanford's 16 top-10 finishes over that stretch.
Florida has been ranked in the AVCA poll for 272 consecutive weeks dating back to Sept. 17, 1991. The Gators' 578 wins since 1991, Wise's first year at Florida, are the most of any Division I volleyball program in the nation during that time period. The Gators' 18 consecutive 25-win seasons also is a nation-leading streak.
National champion Penn State (38-0) garnered each of the 60 first-place votes to rank No. 1 in the AVCA's final poll, while national runner-up Stanford (31-4) was No. 2. Nebraska (31-3), Texas (29-4) and Washington (27-5) rounded out the AVCA's top five.
Penn State also topped the Molten/Volleyball Magazine final poll, as the Nittany Lions have been ranked as that poll's No. 1 team for 21 consecutive weeks dating back to the 2007 campaign. Stanford was ranked No. 2, while Nebraska and Texas tied for third. Washington rounded out the Molten Volleyball Magazine's top five.
For all of the latest information on Florida volleyball, please log on to www.GatorZone.com/volleyball.
| Bison/AVCA Division I Coaches Top-25 Poll (FINAL) | ||
| Rank | Team | Record |
| 1 | Penn State (60) | 38-0 |
| 2 | Stanford | 31-4 |
| 3 | Nebraska | 31-3 |
| 4 | Texas | 29-4 |
| 5 | Washington | 27-5 |
| 6 | Cal | 26-7 |
| 7 | Hawaii | 31-4 |
| 8 | UCLA | 22-11 |
| 9 | Oregon | 25-9 |
| 10 | Florida | 27-4 |
| 11 | Illinois | 26-8 |
| 12 | Iowa State | 22-13 |
| 13 | Southern Cal | 17-12 |
| 14 | Minnesota | 27-7 |
| 15 | Purdue | 26-9 |
| 16 | Utah | 26-6 |
| 17 | Michigan | 26-9 |
| 18 | Wichita State | 30-2 |
| 19 | San Diego | 23-5 |
| 20 | Kansas State | 24-8 |
| 21 | Saint Louis | 29-5 |
| 22 | Kentucky | 26-6 |
| 23 | Long Beach State | 26-6 |
| 24 | Colorado State | 23-7 |
| 25 | Santa Clara | 18-10 |
Others receiving votes and appearing on two or more ballots: Western Michigan; New Mexico State; Pepperdine; Tulane; Middle Tennessee; UAB; Cincinnati; San Francisco; Texas A&M; Duke; Clemson; Western Kentucky.
| Florida's All-Time Final AVCA Rankings | |
| Season | Final AVCA Ranking |
| 1991 | 10 |
| 1992 | 5 |
| 1993 | 14 |
| 1994 | 14 |
| 1995 | 6 |
| 1996 | 4 |
| 1997 | 4 |
| 1998 | 4 |
| 1999 | 5 |
| 2000 | 12 |
| 2001 | 6 |
| 2002 | 4 |
| 2003 | 2 |
| 2004 | 15 |
| 2005 | 3 |
| 2006 | 10 |
| 2007 | 8 |
| 2008 | 10 |
| AVCA Top-10 Finishes Since 1991 | ||
| T1 | Nebraska | 16 |
| T1 | Stanford | 16 |
| T3 | Florida | 14 |
| T3 | Penn State | 14 |
| T5 | Hawaii | 13 |
| T5 | UCLA | 13 |
| Molten/Volleyball Magazine Women's Top 20 Media Poll (FINAL) | ||
| Rank | Team | Record |
| 1 | Penn State (10) | 38-0 |
| 2 | Stanford | 31-4 |
| T3 | Nebraska | 31-3 |
| T3 | Texas | 29-4 |
| 5 | Washington | 27-5 |
| 6 | Hawaii | 31-4 |
| 7 | Cal | 26-7 |
| 8 | UCLA | 22-11 |
| 9 | Oregon | 25-9 |
| 10 | Florida | 27-4 |
| 11 | Iowa State | 22-13 |
| 12 | Illinois | 26-8 |
| T13 | USC | 17-12 |
| T13 | Minnesota | 26-7 |
| 15 | Utah | 26-6 |
| 16 | Purdue | 26-9 |
| 17 | Michigan | 26-9 |
| 18 | Wichita State | 30-2 |
| 19 | San Diego | 23-5 |
| 20 | Saint Louis | 29-5 |
Others receiving votes: Western Michigan, Kansas State, Long Beach State, New Mexico State, Santa Clara.
| Longest NCAA Division I Volleyball Regular-Season Conference Title Streaks | |||
| Streak | League | School | Years |
| 18 | Southeastern Conference | Florida | 1991-Present |
| 17 | Big 8 | Nebraska | 1976-92 |
| 13 | Western Athletic Conference | Hawaii | 1996-Present |
| 12 | SWC | Texas | 1982-93 |
| Most Wins Since 1991 | ||
| Rank | Team | # of Wins since 1991 |
| 1 | Florida | 578-61 |
| 2 | Penn State | 541-72 |
| 3 | Nebraska | 534-57 |
| 4 | Stanford | 524-75 |
| T5 | Long Beach State | 511-89 |
| T5 | Hawaii | 511-86 |
END OF REPORT
