WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
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Big Ten CommunicationsPublished: 8/27/2026, Last updated: 8/27/2026
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Big Ten Weekly Volleyball Central - Aug. 28-30

Big Ten Volleyball    |   Big Ten Standings   |   Big Ten Composite Schedule

Big Ten Statistics  |   NCAA Statistics   |  Big Ten Weekly Release - Aug. 27

  • Eight Big Ten volleyball programs were among the AVCA/TARAFLEX Preseason Top 25, announced on Aug. 10: #1 Nebraska, #6 Wisconsin, #9 Purdue, #10 Penn State, #14 Minnesota, #16 Indiana, #20 USC and #25 Oregon. Illinois, Michigan State and UCLA received votes in the poll.  
  • 93 Big Ten volleyball matches will be nationally televised on Big Ten Network (BTN), FOX and FS1 during the 2026 season.83 regular season matches will air nationally, while the inaugural Big Ten Volleyball Tournament will be carried across BTN, B1G+ and FOX. BTN will broadcast at least 72 matches, featuring all 18 conference schools on linear television. The network’s season coverage begins Saturday, August 29, with Miami at Michigan at 2 p.m. ET, followed by UConn at Penn State at 4 p.m. ET. 
  • Nebraska and Penn State will participate in the inaugural Spikes Under the Lights at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The event features a three-match tournament format optimized for a three-hour television window.
  • Minnesota, Purdue and USC will play in the 2026 State Farm Women’s Volleyball Showcase at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D on Aug. 28-30. Friday’s matches feature #3 Creighton vs. #9 Purdue at 7 p.m. ET, followed by #14 Minnesota vs. #12 Arizona State, both live on FOX. Saturday’s action begins with #12 Arizona State vs. #20 USC at 3 p.m. ET, followed by #13 Creighton vs. #14 Minnesota, both on FS1. The weekend concludes with #20 USC vs. #13 Creighton at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday on BTN. 
  • Wisconsin will face No. 5 Stanford and No. 4 Pitt at the Opening Spike Classic in Pittsburgh on Friday, Aug. 28 and Sunday, Aug. 30. The Badgers are set to play Stanford at 9 p.m. ET on Friday on ESPN2, before meeting Pitt at Noon ET on Sunday on ESPN. Wisconsin split its opening weekend at the AVCA First Serve tournament in Milwaukee, beating No. 7 Louisville in straight sets and falling to No. 3 Kentucky. 
  • The Big Ten led the nation in attendance for the 18th consecutive season in 2025. The conference totaled 981,234 fans across 282 matches, nearly 500,000 more than the SEC, which finished second in attendance rankings (481,876). The Big Ten averaged 3,480 fans per match, with four Big Ten schools in the Top 10 across Division I attendance figures. 
  • Eight All-Americans from 2025 return to fill Big Ten rosters in 2026. Nebraska returns a trio of First Team All-Americans in Andi Jackson, Harper Murray and Bergen Reilly. Purdue returns Taylor Anderson (Second Team), Kenna Wollard (Second Team) and Grace Heaney (Third Team). Penn State returns Kennedy Martin (First Team) and Oregon returns Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Third Team All-American Alanah Clemente. 
  • 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. The Big Ten regular-season schedule will decrease from 20 to 17 matches, in a single, round-robin format to account for the tournament.