The Nebraska Huskers’ Sunday knockout of Southern California was every bit of a weekend banger! Ally Batenhorst’s emotional return against former teammates and a classic one-sided victory were the highlights of the match, where the Trojans faced a crushing defeat by the Huskers. But, despite taking down the 20th rankers 3-0 for a comfortable and classy win, the Huskers are back to where they started.

We’re talking about the AVCA Coaches Top 25 poll, where John Cook’s pupils have been given the runner-up spot below the Pittsburgh Panthers despite their flawless streak this season. Their top-25 victory against the Trojans was the perfect end to the opening weekend, but the number 2 team continues to retain the second spot in the latest weekly AVCA polls. Whereas, the Panthers continue to march ahead undefeated with a strong 12-0 and dominate the top spot on the pyramid with the entire share of 61 votes.

This means that the Huskers lost the first-place vote in this poll, the one they had garnered last week after they defeated the No. 2 and No. 4 teams. Remember how they took down both Stanford and Louisville 3-0, which dipped these opponents to 3 and 5 respectively? Well, that earned the Huskers brownie points and a first-place vote. But these weeks AVCA pools tell a different story as Pittsburgh goes from 60 to 61.

This also implies that the Nebraska Huskers have plunged back to the preseason ranking spot for now. While they trailed behind the Longhorns then, it’s the Panthers who are now racing ahead fair and square. But, speaking of the Huskers, we know they kicked off the season in victorious fashion. A triad victory since they took on Kentucky, their only setback came against SMU, 0-3. Despite that, the squad has a strong 12-1, 2-0 B1G streak so far.

They’ve not just been maintaining a flawless 9-win streak, but the Nebraska Huskers have swept all but one non-conference volleyball game since late August. Keeping up the winning momentum, they even flagged off the Big Ten Conference matches with a win against UCLA. And now, make those two. This Sunday’s win makes them the side who now have crushed 3 teams in the top 6 as of now. Thus, there is enough and more potential to bounce back.

Will the Nebraska Huskers bounce back, or will the Panthers reign supreme?

Notably, until now for the AVCA, 18 teams have received votes and 9 have been featured in the poll. And the Huskers are one of them. But what remains to be seen is how the Big Ten Conference unfolds for them hereafter. Especially as they take on Illinois next, on October 3. Mind you, it’s their first road game of the season, so you wouldn’t want to miss that!

Moreover, every game hereafter counts. Especially if the Huskers are looking to match up to the Panthers. Let’s not forget how the Panthers trashed Georgia Tech over three sets in front of a packed crowd at the O’Keefe Gymnasium. Imagine touching .493 in the game, and bringing in a 12th straight win. Thus, it’ll be notable to watch how their road games against Boston and Syracuse unfold this week. Who are you rooting for? Let us know below!