Volleyball

Big Ten Weekly Volleyball Central - Nov. 11-17

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Big Ten Statistics | NCAA Statistics | Big Ten Weekly Release - Nov. 11

  • A nation-leading nine volleyball programs are ranked in this week’s AVCA/TARAFLEX Poll: #1 Nebraska, #9 Wisconsin, #10 Penn State, #12 Oregon, #13 Purdue, #18 Washington, #19 Minnesota, #22 Indiana and #15 Illinois. Michigan State and UCLA received votes in this week’s poll. 
  • Eleven Big Ten teams are among the top 40 in terms of RPI this week, #1 Nebraska, #3 Wisconsin, #9 Penn State, #10 Oregon, #17 Washington, #19 Purdue, #20 Minnesota, #21 UCLA, #26 Illinois, #27 Indiana and #40 Michigan State.
  • Eleven Big Ten volleyball teams have clinched a spot in this year’s conference tournament, including Illinois, Indiana, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA, Washington and Wisconsin. 
  • No. 1 Nebraska swept No. 18 Washington on Sunday afternoon to clinch at least a share of the Big Ten volleyball title, improving its unblemished record to 14-0 in conference play and 25-0 overall. The Huskers captured their 38th conference championship in program history and seventh as a member of the Big Ten. It marks the first time the Huskers have won four consecutive conference titles since 2004-08 in the Big 12.
  • The 2026 Allstate Big Ten Volleyball Tournament will begin on Friday, November 20. The official tournament bracket will be released on Tuesday, November 17 at the conclusion of all regular season matches. 
  • Illinois secured its fifth ranked victory of the season, its most since the 2018 season when they had 12. All five ranked wins have come during Big Ten play.
  • With Thursday’s matchup against No. 25 Illinois, Nebraska is set to play their fourth consecutive match against a ranked opponent after defeating No. 25 Michigan State, No. 12 Oregon and No. 18 Washington. The four straight matches against ranked opponents is the Huskers’ longest stretch against ranked foes since a five-match span in 2023 where Nebraska collected wins vs. No. 5 Stanford, No. 21 Kentucky, No. 21 Ohio State, No. 12 Minnesota and No. 17 Purdue.
  • Penn State went on the road and took down two nationally ranked Big Ten opponents last week, winning 3-1 at No. 19 Minnesota and 3-2 at No. 7 Wisconsin. It was the Nittany Lions’ first win in Madison since 2017. 
  • Penn State’s Kennedy Martin was named the Big Ten Player of the Week for the third-straight week after leading the Nittany Lions to road wins at No. 19 Minnesota (3-1) and at No. 7 Wisconsin (3-2). Martin is the first player since Nebraska’s Kelsey Robinson in 2013 to win the award three straight weeks. It is the third-straight year that a Penn State player earned the honor three times in a single season. 
  • Rutgers earned its first-ever win over Michigan with a five-set win against the Wolverines on Thursday.
  • The AVCA announced the addition of 16 players to the Watch List for its 2026 Division I Player of the Year Award, presented by Nike Volleyball. New additions from the Big Ten include Minnesota’s Stella Swenson and Mckenna Wucherer and Nebraska’s Manaia Ogbechie. The Big Ten accounts for 13 players on the 46-player watch list. A list of semifinalists will be announced in November, and finalists will be revealed in early December. 
  • 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.