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.

Full AVCA coaches poll on Oct. 26

1. Nebraska

2. Pittsburgh

3. Louisville

4. Florida

5. SMU

6. Tennessee

7. Kentucky

8. BYU

9. Purdue

10. Oregon

11. Penn State

12. Texas

13. Kansas

14. TCU

15. Texas A&M

16. Stanford

17. Indiana

18. Washington

19. Minnesota

20. North Carolina

21. Vanderbilt

22. Michigan State