A strong showing in its conference opener solidifies UCLA’s spot atop the rankings, while the Top 5 remain unchanged.
Also, Alabama stayed undefeated and UNLV joins the rankings for the first time this season.
*****
1. UCLA Bruins (25-1, last week: 1)
A three-game sweep of Washington that included a run-rule win in the series’ finale make the Bruins the undeniable championship favorites through the first six weeks of the season.
2. Oklahoma Sooners (25-2, last week: 2)
The Sooners hold steady in the top two after a perfect 5-0 showing on the week. The week included run-rule wins over Loyola Marymount and Illinois.
3. Florida State Seminoles (27-3, last week: 3)
A loss to Notre Dame in the middle of a conference series wasn’t enough to knock the Seminoles out of the top three.
4. Alabama Crimson Tide (31-0, last week: 4)
The Crimson Tide remain perfect on the year, with six wins on their trip to Hawaii, but still lack a plethora of quality wins. The spotless record is a high mark in the Tide’s favor in their spot as the SEC’s highest-ranked team.
5. Tennessee Lady Vols (22-4, last week: 5)
After a midweek win over Middle Tennessee State, the Lady Vols swept a pair of games against BYU and split in a two-game set with Texas.
6. LSU Tigers (23-6, last week: 8)
The Tigers showed out as they hosted Florida in a conference series, winning the series with a 2-1 showing against the Gators, with the only loss coming on a Gator walk-off.
7. Arizona Wildcats (21-7, last week: 11)
In the conference opener, the Wildcats swept a three-game set over Oregon, recording run-rule wins in back-to-back games to open the series.
8. Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns (23-3, last week: 12)
Midweek victories over Baylor and Nicholls State will both be feathers in the Cajuns’ caps, and they stayed perfect in conference play with a sweep over Troy.
9. Florida Gators (24-5, last week: 7)
A walk-off win to open the series ultimately saved the Gators from a sweep against LSU, which put the Gators under .500 in conference play.
10. Texas Longhorns (25-6, last week: 16)
Visiting Knoxville, the Longhorns swept past BYU in a pair of games, and split with Tennessee, losing once to the Lady Vols before emerging victorious in the teams’ rematch.
11. Washington Huskies (22-6, last week: 6)
Opening their Pac-12 slate, the Huskies were embarrassed by UCLA, losing all three games to the Bruins, including the series finale in run-rule fashion.
12. Texas Tech Red Raiders (27-2, last week: 9)
The Red Raiders took just their second loss of the season in a surprise upset defeat to Memphis, but finished the week 3-1 after playing a travel-induced shortened slate.
13. Minnesota Golden Gophers (19-8, last week: 14)
Moving into their highest ranking of the season, the Gophers went 4-1 on the week, with the sole blemish a loss to upstart Florida Gulf Coast.
14. Kentucky Wildcats (20-7, last week: 18)
Rachel Lawson’s club continued their red-hot start to conference play, sweeping through their second-consecutive SEC series, this time over Mississippi State.
15. Wisconsin Badgers (21-3, last week: 17)
A week off didn’t keep the Badgers from moving up in the rankings, thanks to some other teams’ struggles.
16. Auburn Tigers (26-4, last week: 19)
The season rebound continues for the Tigers, as they posted a perfect 4-0 record on the week, with a series sweep over Texas A&M.
17. Oklahoma State Cowgirls (20-7, last week: 13)
The Cowgirls’ trip eastward provided mixed results, including a pair of victories over Central Arkansas and Samford, but back-to-back losses against Ole Miss in Oxford.
18. Georgia Bulldogs (25-6, last week: 10)
With a 2-3 record on the week, the Bulldogs created a lot of questions about their season’s outlook; the losses including a single-game defeat to North Carolina and a series loss to Missouri.
19. James Madison Dukes (15-5, last week: 22)
Despite carrying a lighter workload than many of their ranked peers, the Dukes posted a perfect 4-0 showing on the week.
20. Virginia Tech Hokies (23-4, last week: 24)
Facing off against North Carolina State, who were ranked early in the season, the Hokies swept by the Wolfpack, taking three wins in the weekend series.
21. Indiana Hoosiers (25-6, last week: 15)
The Hoosiers suffered possibly their worst week of the season, ending up 4-3 on the week, with losses to Florida Gulf Coast, Ohio, and Northwestern.
22. Arizona State Sun Devils (22-8, last week: 25)
Hosting Oregon State in a conference series, the Sun Devils took the series win, despite dropping a single game to the Beavers.
23. Ole Miss Rebels (21-7, last week: NR)
Fresh off of their series win over Arkansas, the Rebels posted a perfect 4-0 record in their home tournament, taking a pair of wins over both Samford and Oklahoma State.
24. South Carolina Gamecocks (21-7, last week: 20)
The Gamecocks’ struggles in conference play continued with a series loss to Arkansas, dropping the squad to a 1-5 record in the league.
25. UNLV Rebels (21-6, last week: NR)
Jumping into our rankings for the first time this season, the Rebels took a series win over Boise State to open Mountain West play, in a series that could play into postseason consideration.
DROPPED OUT: #21 Boise State, #23 Arkansas
