Opening weekend did not take long to shake up the inaugural FloCollege D2 Volleyball Rankings.
After entering the season at No. 12, Wayne State (NE) Women's Volleyball climbs all the way to No. 1 following a dominant 4-0 start in New York.
The Wildcats closed the trip by dismantling Bloomsburg in straight sets, 25-7, 25-12 and 25-7. Wayne State hit .456 in the victory while holding Bloomsburg to a negative hitting percentage. Chloe Hanel led the Wildcats with 13 kills, and Mattie Kamery added six of the team’s 13 service aces.
That was enough to push Wayne State past two more unbeaten teams at the top.
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Washburn Women's Volleyball makes an equally impressive jump, moving from No. 11 to No. 2 after sweeping its four matches at the Washburn Invitational. The Ichabods finished the weekend with a four-set win over Westminster behind 13 kills apiece from Emma Siron and Hayden Meats. Siron was named the tournament MVP, while Shannon Frakes, Brynne Topolski and Brooklyn Morrissey joined her on the All-Tournament Team.
St. Cloud State Women's Volleyball completes the new top three after a perfect 4-0 run through the UP North Tournament. The Huskies swept their first three opponents before surviving a five-set battle against Michigan Tech. Shelby Kimm recorded 20 kills and 25 digs in the finale, while Carlie Willis added a career-high 20 kills on a .576 hitting percentage. It is the first time St. Cloud State has opened a season 4-0 since 2023.
Fresno Pacific Women's Volleyball and Ferris State Women's Volleyball also went unbeaten to move into the top five. Tampa Women's Volleyball drops four spots to No. 6 after a 3-1 start, followed by Wingate, preseason No. 1 Concordia-St. Paul, defending national champion MSU Denver and Nebraska-Kearney.
Early-season rankings tend to move quickly. With teams playing different numbers of matches and only a small sample of results available, one strong weekend—or one early loss—can create a significant shift. The rankings should begin to settle as more matches are played and each team’s résumé takes shape.
There was plenty of movement beyond the top 10, too. Missouri Western climbs 10 spots to No. 12 after beginning the season 4-0, while Central Washington moves from No. 23 to No. 16 following a 3-0 opening weekend.
Five teams join the rankings after beginning outside the preseason Top 25. Nova Southeastern leads that group at No. 20, followed by Missouri-St. Louis, Anderson, Cal State San Bernardino and Alabama Huntsville.
Fourteen of this week’s ranked teams remain unbeaten. The first weekend gave us answers, but it created an even longer list of questions heading into Week 2.
D2 Volleyball Rankings 2026: Week 1 Top 25
- Wayne State (Neb.)
- Washburn
- St. Cloud State
- Fresno Pacific
- Ferris State
- Tampa
- Wingate
- Concordia-St. Paul
- MSU Denver
- Nebraska-Kearney
- Alaska Fairbanks
- Missouri Western
- Angelo State
- Southwest Minnesota State
- Central Oklahoma
- Central Washington
- Point Loma
- Simon Fraser
- Missouri-St. Louis
- Nova Southeastern
- Barry
- Lynn
- Anderson (S.C.)
- Cal State San Bernardino
- UAH
How The FloCollege D2 Volleyball Rankings Are Determined
The FloCollege Division II volleyball rankings are driven by a combination of objective data and input from voters.
Ranking factors include:
- Voter points
- Preseason seed
- Win percentage
- Total margin of victory
- Quality wins
Preseason positioning and voter input established the foundation for the inaugural rankings. As the season progresses, results, quality wins and overall performance will take on a greater role in determining each week’s Top 25.
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