Washington has re-entered the top 25 in women's volleyball after a historic week.
The Huskies clocked in at No. 22 in the AVCA coaches poll released on Monday, the first time Washington has been ranked since it was No. 24 in October 2024. It's also the highest Washington has been ranked since November 2022, when UW ascended as high as No. 21.
Back with a #⃣ but nowhere near satisfied
pic.twitter.com/JQN0EvRhWb— Washington Volleyball (@UWVolleyball) September 28, 2026
🔗 https://t.co/FfMYj9ccN8
Head coach Leslie Gabriel, the older sister of former Husky football players Marques and Zach Tuiasosopo, has the Huskies off to an 11-0 start after Washington swept previously undefeated Michigan State and Michigan to complete their first 2-0 road week since joining the Big Ten. Gabriel is a former Washington volleyball
player who spent 22 years as an assistant coach from 2001-22 before being elevated to the head role after Keegan Cook left Montlake to take the Minnesota job.
Last Friday, Washington thwarted a potent Michigan State attack that entered conference play as the NCAA's best attack percentage at .345, holding the Spartans to .132 while the Huskies hit .310, their second-highest mark of the season. Washington tied a season high with 12 aces and set new season bests in blocks with 13.5. Second-year outside hitter Simona Mateska led Washington with 12 kills, 3 aces, and 8 digs.
The Huskies returned to action on Sunday, sweeping Michigan in straight sets for their first win over the Wolverines since 2010. Six players for Washington had at least 4 kills, led by second-year outside hitter Maija Howse with 11, third-year middle blocker Julia Hunt with 9, and first-year outside hitter Kylie Kleckner with 9.
Seven other Big Ten programs were also ranked Monday, including No. 1 Nebraska, No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 10 Purdue, No. 15 Indiana, No. 16 Penn State, No. 17 Oregon, and No. 20 Minnesota, led by Cook. Illinois is also just outside of the top 25 at No. 27 and travels to Seattle on Friday to take on the Huskies after upsetting Minnesota and USC last week. On Sunday, Washington hosts Purdue for the program's first top-25 match of the year.
Washington is about midway through the season with 15 regular season games to go, including matchups with all seven ranked programs in the conference. The Big Ten Championships run from November 20 to November 25 in Fishers, Indiana, before teams are selected for the NCAA Tournament, which the Huskies last made in 2024 and won in 2005.
This article originally appeared on Huskies Wire: Washington women's volleyball breaks into top 25 after undefeated open
