Volleyball

Big Ten Weekly Volleyball Central - Oct. 8-14

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Big Ten Statistics | NCAA Statistics | Big Ten Weekly Release - Oct. 8

  • A Big Ten record and nation-leading 10 volleyball programs are ranked in this week’s AVCA/TARAFLEX Poll: #1 Nebraska, #7 Wisconsin, #13 Oregon, #15 Indiana, #16 Purdue, #18 Penn State, #20 Washington, #21 Minnesota, #22 Michigan State and #24 Illinois. UCLA and USC received votes in this week’s poll. 
  • The NCAA released the season’s first official RPI rankings. Twelve Big Ten teams are among the top 40 including, #3 Nebraska, #5 Wisconsin, #10 Washington, #12 Penn State, #14 UCLA, #15 Oregon, #16 Indiana, #18 Purdue, #22 Michigan State, #33 Illinois, #39 Minnesota and #40 Michigan.
  • The Fighting Illini are ranked nationally for the first time since 2022. Illinois is 11-4 overall and 3-1 in Big Ten play, a conference record that includes a road sweep at then-No. 22 Washington, then-No. 15 Minnesota and then-No. 23 USC. 
  • For the first time since its 2018 NCAA Semifinal campaign, Illinois won three consecutive matches against ranked opponents following its victory over No. 22 Washington on Friday night.
  • Michigan State is ranked for the first time since 2018, checking in at No. 22 in the national poll. Michigan State’s 3-1 start to Big Ten play is its best since 2023, while its 13-1 overall start is the best since 2013. 
  • Michigan State’s Malayah Long was selected as the AVCA National Player of the Week. She is the second Big Ten recipient of the weekly honor this season and the first Spartan to be recognized with the award since 2013. Long was also selected as the Big Ten Setter of the Week. 
  • Maryland volleyball set a new program attendance record hosting No. 1 Nebraska on Saturday night in front of 15,127 fans at the XFINITY Center. Since 2023, Nebraska volleyball has been part of 25 women’s volleyball venue attendance records, including five this season.  
  • With Nebraska’s sweep of Penn State, Dani Busboom Kelly became the fourth-fastest Division I coach to reach 250 career wins in NCAA history. 
  • Nebraska is the lone undefeated team in the nation, boasting a 15-0 record. This is the first time the Huskers have recorded consecutive 15-0 starts since a four-season run from 2005-08. The top-ranked Huskers head to No. 15 Indiana and host No. 7 Wisconsin this weekend.  
  • Wisconsin will begin Big Ten play by playing six consecutive ranked teams in Oregon (23), Purdue (9), Indiana (15), Minnesota (14), Illinois (24) and Nebraska (1). In their last five matches, the Badgers are 5-0 and 4-0 in Big Ten play. Wisconsin meets No. 24 Illinois and No. 1 Nebraska this week to continue conference play. 
  • Nebraska and Wisconsin are set to play in the inaugural AVCA Match Point, a two-day women’s volleyball championship event taking place at Freedom Hall in Louisville, Ky., on April 10-11, 2027. The event will feature six of the nation’s top programs, Nebraska, Louisville, Kentucky, Pitt, Stanford and Wisconsin, with two additional programs to be announced at a later date that round out the eight-team field.
  • The Big Ten Conference will usher in a new era of collegiate volleyball this fall with the launch of its inaugural tournament November 20-25, 2026, at Fishers Event Center in Fishers, Ind. The top 15 teams in the regular-season standings will qualify for the tournament, bringing the nation’s premier volleyball programs together in one venue for the first time. Three matches will be played in the opening round of the tournament, followed by four second-round matches. The competition will then progress through the quarterfinals and semifinals, culminating with the championship match slated for November 25 on FOX. One off day will be built into the tournament schedule.