In a weekend stacked with top-20 matchups, we saw a win streaks extended, emerging contenders upset, and losing streaks snapped in sweeping fashion. Check out this weekend’s volleyball highlights.
Huskers Drop One Set, Handle Purdue in Four
No. 1 Nebraska used every weapon in its offensive arsenal against No. 13 Purdue on Saturday, earning a decisive 25-13, 20-25, 25-19, 25-14 victory and improving to 3-0 in the Discover In-Season Volleyball Challenge. The first set was all Huskers; Purdue led once at 3-2 before Nebraska stormed back with two five-point runs led by Harper Murray and Bergen Reilly at the service line. The Boilers handed Nebraska its first set loss of the Big Ten season after out-hitting the Huskers .237 to .118 in the second, but Nebraska grabbed the momentum back with a comeback third-set victory before cruising in the fourth. Four different Huskers reached double-digit kills in the match, led by Teraya Sigler’s career-high 15 kills. Read the Huskers’ recap.
Bruins Beat Penn State for Their Season's Signature Win
The UCLA Bruins claimed their first ranked victory of the season in a rollercoaster, five-set thriller against No. 15 Penn State. The Bruins controlled the first set 25-20 behind kills from Maggie Li, but the Nittany Lions roared back with dominant 25-15 and 25-17 victories to take a 2-1 lead. UCLA trailed for most of the do-or-die fourth set, and PSU looked poised to close the door. Back by as many as five points, the Bruins stayed resilient and came up clutch down the stretch to claw out a 26-24 win. They mounted another comeback in the fifth set, capped off by Li’s team-leading 17th kill of the evening, to pull off the upset. Read more from the Bruins.
On Sunday, UCLA fended off Ohio State in a 3-2 victory to win its fifth consecutive match and move to 3-0 in the Discover In-Season Volleyball Challenge. Perhaps the Bruins are hitting their stride at the right time... The OSU story here.
Ducks Flying High on Win Streak
No. 11 Oregon has now won seven straight matches following a five-set victory over No. 18 Indiana on Friday and a 3-1 win over Rutgers on Sunday. It was the one-two punch of Alanah Clemente and Sjakkie Donkers leading the way for the Ducks again; the duo combined for 72 kills across the two matches.
On Friday, the Hoosiers won the first set 25-23 and were a point away from a 2-0 lead before the Ducks mounted a four-point run to even the score. Clemente posted eight of her match-leading 19 kills in the third set to lead the Ducks to a pivotal 25-22 victory. Indiana took the fourth set 25-21, but Oregon’s defense overwhelmed the Hoosiers in the fifth, holding them to a negative hitting percentage to close out the win. Full story here.
Outside of the Scarlet Knights claiming a wild 32-30 victory in set two, Sunday’s bout was all Ducks. Oregon won the other three sets handily (25-13, 25-18, 25-12) to extend its win streak and become one of five teams tied at 3-0 atop the Discover In-Season Volleyball Challenge standings. Read the Ducks’ full recap.
Hoosiers Stop the Skid
No. 18 Indiana finished its West Coast trip on a high note, sweeping No. 20 Washington in “one of the best performances of the season” to snap a three-match losing streak. Lockdown defense made the difference in Seattle, where Indiana posted 10 blocks in just three sets and sided out at over 70% in the first two to help hold the Huskies to a .149 clip. The Hoosiers have now won multiple ranked matchups in consecutive campaigns for the first time since 1998-99. Read IU’s story.
Tournament Play a Month Away
We’re about a month away from the 2026 Big Ten Volleyball Tournament, and Nebraska is the only remaining undefeated team in the conference with Oregon and Wisconsin right behind. The Huskers will clash with a UCLA squad hot off an upset on Thursday — check out all the upcoming action.