LA VERNE, CA - The Leopards remain on top. For the third consecutive week, the University of La Verne women's volleyball team is ranked No. 1 in the nation in the AVCA/TARAFLEX Division III poll, released Tuesday morning. 

The ranking comes on the heels of another dominant stretch for La Verne, which added three more SCIAC victories last week. On Tuesday, the Leopards swept Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in three sets, with the Ray sisters leading the charge on offense. Valerie Gallegos sparked momentum from the service line with a string of aces as the team piled up nine in total, while setter Vanessa Marquez showcased her versatility by leading the defense in digs.

La Verne carried that energy into the weekend, beginning with a hard-fought home win over Cal Lutheran on Friday night. The Leopards had to dig deep, battling through five grueling sets before pulling away late to secure the victory and keep their conference record perfect. Less than 24 hours later, they were back on the court against Caltech, where they controlled the match from start to finish in a straight-set sweep. La Verne's hitting percentage was nearly .131 higher than the Beavers, with Lauren Gott and Zacky Coasten making their presence felt at the net and combining for timely blocks to cap another dominant performance.

At 14-0 overall, La Verne remains one of just two unbeaten teams in the top five nationally. The Leopards sit ahead of No. 2 East Texas Baptist, No. 3 Wisconsin-Oshkosh, No. 4 Wisonsin-Whitewater, and No. 5 Juniata in this week's rankings. 

To find the full list of rankings, CLICK HERE.