Penn State women’s volleyball checks in at No. 8 in the latest AVCA Division I Coaches Poll, which was released Monday afternoon.

The Nittany Lions dropped one spot from their previous ranking of No. 7. They previously held the No. 8 spot for three weeks earlier in the season.

Russ Rose’s program is joined by fellow Big Ten representatives such as Wisconsin (No. 4), Minnesota (No. 6), and Nebraska (No. 7). Purdue and Illinois are also featured in the poll at No. 15 and No. 21, respectively.

The drop in the rankings likely stems from Penn State’s five-set loss on the road against Nebraska this weekend. The Nittany Lions fought hard and came back from a 2-1 deficit to bring up a fifth and deciding set, but Nebraska’s high-powered offense earned the Cornhuskers the victory.

Prior to Saturday night’s loss to the Cornhuskers, Penn State made easy work of Iowa in a commanding sweep in Iowa City Friday night. The Nittany Lions’ win was at that point their eighth-straight victory, and they improved to 55-0 against the Hawkeyes since their series began in 1991.

The Nittany Lions (17-4, 10-2 Big Ten) will return to Rec Hall for a two-match homestand this week. They’ll take on Indiana on Friday, November 8 at 7:30 p.m. and No. 15 Purdue on Saturday, November 9 at 7 p.m.