Vanderbilt Women’s Basketball (17-4, 4-3 SEC) was ranked at No. 23 in the AP Top 25 Poll this morning, per AP News. This marks the first time the Commodores have received a top-25 ranking since the 2013-14 season when they were ranked as high as No. 16. The ranking comes after three consecutive SEC victories over then-No. 16 Tennessee, Arkansas and then-No. 19 Alabama. 

The Commodores started their season out strong, finishing the non-conference slate with a 13-1 record. This start had them earning votes from the AP Poll since the preseason, when it received 12. It continued to receive votes in subsequent weeks, checking in as high as the unofficial-No. 26 team (26 votes) in the nation during Week 9 after a dominant 108-82 victory over Georgia. However, in the following weeks, the Commodores would falter, losing three straight contests to then-No. 16 Kentucky, Ole Miss and then-No. 5 LSU. These losses resulted in just the Commodores’ receiving less than 10 votes in Weeks 11 and 12‘s polls. 

This week, though, on the back of those three straight aforementioned wins, the Commodores have finally cracked the top-25. The ranking reflects the program’s upward trajectory under now fourth-year head coach Shea Ralph. 

The Commodores are also gaining attention in national bracketology predictions, with ESPN currently listing them as a No. 7 seed. The Commodores are additionally ranked No. 18 and No. 6 in the NET and SEC, respectively.

Vanderbilt will look to improve its ranking and record when it travels to Gainesville, Florida, for a contest against the University of Florida on Jan. 30 at 6 p.m. CST.