Hawaii Ascends to No. 1 as Bruins Fall
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Hawaii Ascends to No. 1 as Bruins Fall

The Rainbow Warriors leapfrog UCLA to claim the top spot in the latest men's volleyball poll, while UC Irvine surges four spots to No. 2.

D1Ball StaffWednesday, July 29, 2026

Hawaii (30-5) climbed from No. 3 to claim the No. 1 ranking, overtaking UCLA (29-2), which dropped two spots to No. 3 after previously holding the top position. The Rainbow Warriors' ascension marks the poll's headline move, but the most dramatic jump belongs to UC Irvine (21-9), which vaulted four spots from No. 6 to No. 2 — the biggest single-week rise in the Top 20.

Long Beach State (25-5) also slipped two spots, falling from No. 2 to No. 4, while Pepperdine (24-7) and USC (20-8) each dropped two positions to Nos. 6 and 7, respectively. Ball State (26-5) capitalized on the chaos, rising from No. 7 to No. 5. Further down, Penn State (22-8) climbed three spots to No. 12, and Lewis (20-7) fell two to No. 15.

The reshuffling paints a clear picture: the top four has completely reorganized, with Hawaii and UC Irvine now occupying positions that UCLA and Long Beach owned a week ago. The race at the top just got tighter — and a lot more interesting.

Data via ESPN · Summarized by D1Ball's editorial engine from official statistics.

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