Volleyball

Big Ten Weekly Volleyball Central - Nov. 4-10

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Big Ten Statistics | NCAA Statistics | Big Ten Weekly Release - Nov. 4
 

  • A nation-leading eight volleyball programs are ranked in this week’s AVCA/TARAFLEX Poll: #1 Nebraska,#7 Wisconsin, #11 Penn State, #12 Oregon, #14 Purdue, #18 Washington, #19 Minnesota and #T21 Indiana. Michigan State, Illinois, UCLA and Michigan received votes in this week’s poll. 
  • Twelve Big Ten teams are among the top 40 in terms of RPI this week, #1 Nebraska, #3 Wisconsin, #8 Oregon, #11 Penn State, #15 Washington, #18 Minnesota, #20 Purdue, #23 UCLA, #25 Indiana, #28 Illinois, #32 Michigan State and #39 Michigan. 
  • Nebraska (23-0, 12-0 Big Ten) hit .340 as a team in a 3-1 victory over Michigan State to win the 2026 Big Ten Discover Challenge on Saturday. The Huskers finished 5-0 in designated challenge matches, defending their Big Ten Discover Challenge title from a season ago. 
  • Seven Big Ten volleyball teams have clinched a spot in this year’s conference tournament, including Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, Washington and Wisconsin. 
  • FS1 will air a pair of top-25 matches on Sunday, starting with #11 Penn State at #7 Wisconsin at 4 p.m. ET followed by #1 Nebraska at #18 Washington at 6:30 p.m. ET. 
  • Indiana head coach Steve Aird matched a program record with his 12th ranked win as the head coach of the Hoosiers as part of a reverse sweep against No. 25 Michigan State last weekend. 
  • Michigan earned its first ranked win of the season on Saturday against then-No. 19 Indiana in four sets. The Wolverines are receiving votes in this week’s AVCA poll for the first time since the Sept. 7 poll. 
  • With Nebraska’s 2-0 week, the Huskers are off to a 23-0 start for the ninth time in program history. Nebraska also improved their win streak in road and neutral-site matches to 25, which ranks 11th all-time in NCAA history and the longest nationally since the Huskers’ string of 26 straight wins in 2002-03.
  • Oregon is 10-0 at home this season and will look to extend that streak to 11 matches hosting No. 1 Nebraska on Saturday inside a sold-out Matthew Knight Arena. First serve is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT on Big Ten Network. 
  • Washington earned a pair of wins against Iowa and Maryland last weekend to improve to 17-4 overall and 8-4 in conference play. The Huskies have already matched their most Big Ten wins in a season with five matches remaining on the conference schedule. Washington hosts Northwestern and Nebraska this week.
  • 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.