WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
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Big Ten CommunicationsPublished: 11/22/2023, Last updated: 3/15/2024
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Big Ten Weekly Volleyball Central - Nov. 20-26

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BIG TEN VOLLEYBALL  |  BIG TEN STANDINGS  |  BIG TEN COMPOSITE SCHEDULE

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AVCA TOP 25 POLL (NOV. 20)  |  NCAA RPI RANKINGS (NOV. 20)

BIG TEN WEEKLY RELEASE - NOV. 15

  • For the fourth-straight week the Big Ten has four teams among the AVCA top-25 and one team receiving votes in the Week 12 poll. 

  • With two matches remaining on each Big Ten team’s schedule, regular season play will conclude this Saturday, Nov. 25, with the NCAA Selection show scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 26, at 6 p.m. ET with live coverage on ESPN for the first time. 32 teams are set to automatically qualify from each of the 32 conferences, with 32 others selected to round out the 64-team bracket. 

  • The Big Ten Conference continues to be the most popular conference in the country in terms of attendance, placing a remarkable nine schools among the top 22 in the latest NCAA attendance rankings released Sunday. Nebraska leads the country at 13,537 fans per match, ahead of Wisconsin (3rd; 7,216), with Minnesota fourth (4,990) and Michigan State sixth (4,149). Penn State is next at No. 11 (2,888), followed by No. 12 Purdue (2,415), No. 14 Michigan (2,983), No. 18 Ohio State (3,474) and No. 22 Illinois (2,407). Purdue has sold out Holloway Gymnasium for the entire season and Penn State has eclipsed over 3,000 fans in seven of their last eight home matches. By comparison, no other conference in the country has more than two schools in the top 15 of the NCAA attendance rankings this week, with the Big Ten owning seven of the top-15 spots. 

  • Nebraska claimed the 2023 Big Ten Championship with a 3-0 win over Iowa on Sunday. It was Nebraska’s fourth title overall and first since 2017. The Huskers will be the conference’s automatic qualifier into this year’s NCAA Tournament. 

  • No. 1 Nebraska and No. 5 Wisconsin meet for the second and final time this season on Friday, Nov. 24 at 4 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network. Nebraska then closes its regular season at RV Minnesota on Saturday, Nov. 25 at 9 p.m. ET on Big Ten Network. 

  • Ranked No. 1 in the AVCA Coaches Poll for the fifth-straight week, Nebraska has been ranked No. 1 in 107 all-time polls, the most in NCAA history. The Huskers remain unbeaten entering the final week of the regular season and will look to match the 2005 record which saw the Huskers start the season 28-0. Nebraska’s 18-0 conference record is the team’s best since joining the conference in 2011. 

  • Nebraska finished its home regular season slate at a perfect 17-0, going undefeated at home for the first time since 2017 (15-0). 

  • Purdue earned its sixth win vs. a top-25 opponent (6-3 record) vs. then-No. 3 Wisconsin on Friday night inside Holloway Gymnasium. The Boilermakers were led by Eva Hudson, who posted a double-double with a career-high 30 kills and 11 digs to join Purdue’s elite 30-kill club. The outside hitter was just the 12th Purdue player in history (first since 2018) to reach the 30-kill threshold in a single match.  

  • Purdue wrapped up a 10-match stretch on Friday night which saw eight opponents ranked of receiving votes in the poll. The Boilermakers went 7-1 against those opponents, including two wins vs. Penn State, a win vs. #3 Wisconsin and two wins vs. Minnesota. 

  • Minnesota’s 2-0 weekend improved the Gopher’s record to 15-11 overall and 11-7 in conference play, clinching Minnesota’s ninth straight winning season in conference play. In the 3-0 sweep of Ohio State, Minnesota held an opponent to below a .100 hitting percentage for the fifth time this season, going 5-0 in those matches. 

  • Mac Podraza reached 5,000 career assists with her 42nd assist vs. Michigan State on Friday. The setter led the Nittany Lions to .362 hitting with 44 total assists and tallied 40 more helpers vs. Northwestern on Saturday, eventually earning Big Ten Setter of the Week for her efforts. Penn State’s record this season when they have a higher hitting percentage than their opponent is 17-1 and 16-0 when the Nittany Lions tally more kills than their opponent, both of which came en route to a 2-0 weekend over Michigan State and Northwestern.