Big Ten Volleyball NCAA Tournament Central Nov. 30 - Dec. 2

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AVCA TOP 25 POLL (NOV. 27)  |  NCAA RPI RANKINGS (NOV. 27)

BIG TEN WEEKLY RELEASE - NOV. 30

• For the fifth-straight week the Big Ten has four teams among the AVCA top-25 and one team receiving votes in the Week 15 poll, the final poll of the regular season. 

• The Big Ten Conference had five member institutions chosen to compete in the 2023 NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship, it was announced Sunday evening. Nebraska, Wisconsin, Purdue, Penn State and Minnesota earned berths to this year’s 64-team NCAA Tournament, which begins Thursday, Nov. 30, at campus sites around the country. The tournament culminates with the NCAA Final Four Dec. 14 and 17 at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.

• Nebraska and Wisconsin each earned No. 1 seeds in this year’s tournament and will host through the regional finals. 

• Nebraska received the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament for the first time since 2016 and will host the first and second rounds at the Bob Devaney Sports Center this Friday and Saturday. The Huskers lead the nation in attendance figures, averaging 13,537 fans per home match, surpassing 230,000 fans on the year.  

• Wisconsin senior outside hitter Sarah Franklin was named the AVCA National Player of the Week, the organization announce on Monday. Franklin averaged 5.0 kills/set with a .329 hitting percentage, 2.5 digs/set and 5.25 points/set as part of a 2-0 week highlighted by a 3-0 win over No. 1 Nebraska and a sweep of Iowa. The Badgers handed the Huskers their first loss of the season, powered by Franklin’s 16 kills and 12 digs for her seventh double-double of the season. 

• The Badgers recorded the best opponent hitting percentage against Nebraska this season, hitting .357 with 52 kills on 115 attempts with 11 errors. The Badgers also outblocked its opponent for the 26th (of 28 matches) time this season. Wisconsin tallied six blocks on the night. With the win, Wisconsin has defeated Nebraska eight straight times in the UW Field House. 

• Purdue sophomore outside hitter Eva Hudson became the fastest Boilermaker in the rally-scoring era to reach 1,000 kills, with her first kill of the match at Michigan State (Nov. 25). Hudson joined Debbie McDonald (1986-89) as the only Boilermaker to ever accomplish the feat. 

• Purdue rose to a season-high No. 12 in the final regular-season AVCA Top 25 poll. The Boilermakers finished the regular season on a seven match win streak, the longest active winning streak by any Big Ten team through matches of Nov. 25. In the stretch, Purdue topped then- No. 16 Penn State, RV Minnesota and No. 3 Wisconsin. Purdue capped the regular season with three straight 3-0 wins over Maryland, Michigan and Michigan State. 

• Penn State is the only school to compete in every NCAA Division I Tournament since it started in 1981. The Nittany Lions enter as the No. 14 team in the AVCA Coaches Poll with a 21-8 overall record after winning their final six matches of the regular season. 

• Minnesota will appear in its 28th all-time NCAA Tournament. The Gophers have won at least one  postseason match in 14 straight NCAA Tournaments and are 26-1 in the first round of the tournament. Primed for this year’s tournament, Minnesota faced 14 opponents throughout the regular season who ultimately made the 64-team field. 

• The Big Ten Conference announced its 2023 Volleyball All-Big Ten Teams and individual honorees Thursday, as chosen by a vote of the conference’s 14 head coaches. Wisconsin’s senior outside hitter Sarah Franklin was selected as Player of the Year and Nebraska swept the remainder of the major awards with junior libero Lexi Rodriguez selected as Defensive Player of the Year, freshman setter Bergen Reilly named Setter of the Year, outside hitter Harper Murray chosen as Freshman of the Year and John Cook earning Coach of the Year (the lone award that featured separate voting by the conference coaches and a select media panel, both of whom chose Cook). The complete list of this year’s honorees, including the all-conference and all-freshman teams, can be found on page 4 of the attached release.