(BIG TEN) – For the fifth straight week, eight Big Ten volleyball programs were among this week’s AVCA/TARAFLEX Top 25: #1 Nebraska, #6 Wisconsin, #10 Purdue, #15 Indiana, #16 Penn State, #17 Oregon, #20 Minnesota and #22 Washington. Michigan State, Illinois, USC and UCLA received votes in this week’s poll. The Big Ten’s eight ranked programs are the most of any conference nationally.
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The Big Ten Conference and Big Ten Network (BTN) have announced the second year of the Discover In-Season Volleyball Challenge. The Challenge will start Oct. 3 with all 18 Big Ten volleyball programs participating. Weekend (Saturday/Sunday) conference matches played October 3 – November 1 will count toward the Discover In-Season Volleyball Challenge, with each team playing five designated challenge matches throughout the month. The winner will be determined by the highest win total across the five matches.
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Nebraska (13-0) and Washington (11-0) are two of just four teams nationally who boast an unblemished record. With a 13-0 start, the Huskers have posted an unbeaten record through the first 13 matches of a season for the 12th time in program history. This is the first time the Huskers have recorded consecutive 13-0 starts since a four-season run from 2005-08. With the wins in East Lansing and Ann Arbor last weekend, Washington earned its first 2-0 road week since joining the Big Ten in 2024.
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Illinois opened conference play with a pair of wins against then-No. 15 Minnesota and then-No. 23 USC. The Fighting Illini, on a six-match win streak, are now 10-3 and secured ranked victories in consecutive matches for the first time since 2019. Illinois now has multiple ranked wins in a season for the first time since 2021 and head coach Chris Tamas recorded his 100th Big Ten win.
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For the first time in over 35 years, Indiana has started 2-0 in Big Ten play in consecutive seasons. The Hoosiers picked up wins over UCLA and Maryland last week to start the conference campaign.
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Michigan State earned its first top-15 win in three seasons with a four-set victory over 14th-ranked Penn State Sunday afternoon inside the Breslin Center. It marked Michigan State’s first win in the series since a five-set victory against the then-No. 13 Nittany Lions in East Lansing on Oct. 28, 2023, which was also the Spartans’ last top-15 win.
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Nebraska senior middle blocker Andi Jackson was named the AVCA National Player of the Week on Tuesday. Jackson’s all-around performance led the top-ranked Huskers to a 3-0 week against Missouri, Rutgers and Ohio State. On the week, the senior averaged 3.33 kills per set and 1.56 blocks per set. Jackson was also selected as this week’s Big Ten Player of the Week.
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Ohio State won its Big Ten opener at Iowa, 3-1. The win extended Ohio State’s win streak to six matches. It was the Buckeyes’ longest win streak since 2022, when they won 14 matches straight.
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Washington is back in the national top-25 for the first time since the 2024 season, debuting at No. 22 in the latest AVCA coaches poll. The Huskies are off to an 11-0 start and won their first two matches in conference play last week against Michigan and Michigan State. The No. 22 ranking is Washington’s highest since Nov. 14, 2022 (21st).
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