WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
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Big Ten CommunicationsPublished: 10/23/2024, Last updated: 10/23/2024
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Big Ten Weekly Volleyball Central - Oct. 23-29

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  • Seven of the Big Ten’s 18 teams are mentioned in this week’s AVCA Coaches Poll, announced on Monday. The poll includes No. 2 Nebraska, No. 3 Penn State, No. 8 Wisconsin, No. 10 Purdue, No. 11 Oregon, No. 15 Minnesota and No. 16 USC. Four teams are receiving votes, Michigan, Illinois, UCLA and Washington. 
  • In Purdue’s 3-0 win over Indiana on Saturday, the Boilermakers set a Big Ten regular season match attendance record, welcoming 14,876 fans to a sold-out Mackey Arena. Purdue returns to Mackey Arena for its second Mackey match on Saturday in a top 10 matchup against No. 8 Wisconsin on NBC at 3:30 p.m. ET. 
  • NBC’s first-ever volleyball match featuring Nebraska and Ohio State drew and average of 514,000 viewers on Saturday. It was the most-watched Big Ten match this season and third highest in viewership of any match featuring a Big Ten team so far this year. NBC will air two additional Big Ten matches this season, including the Mackey match between No. 10 Purdue and No. 8 Wisconsin this Saturday. 
  • Behind Carter Booth’s career-high 12.0 blocks vs. Michigan, Wisconsin set a program record for most blocks (21.0) in a four-set match. Booth was named the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week on Monday (10/21). 
  • The Big Ten has three teams among the top 10 nationally in hitting percentage. Wisconsin leads the conference and is sixth nationally with a .303 hitting percentage, followed by seventh-ranked Penn State with a .304% and Nebraska is ninth in the NCAA with a .301 hitting percentage. Among the top 10, the Big 12 (2) is only other conference with multiple programs represented. 
  • Jess Mruzik leads the Big Ten with 5.41 kills/set in conference play, while hitting .285 to lead the Nittany Lions to an 8-0 record through the first four weeks of Big Ten play. During Penn State’s 10-match win streak dating back to its non-conference slate, Mruzik is hitting .292 with 5.29 kills and 2.91 digs per set.
  • Purdue’s Raven Colvin moved into second all-time in Boilermaker program history with 572 career total blocks. Colvin is fourth nationally, averaging 1.63 blocks per set and is fifth in the NCAA with 114 total blocks this season. 
  • USC’s 2.96 blocks per set lead the Big Ten and rank fifth nationally. USC has reached double-digit blocks 11 times in 2024, including season-highs of 19.5 blocks twice; vs. Kansas State and vs. Loyola Marymount. 
  • The fifth week of conference play features five matchups between ranked opponents or teams receiving votes. BTN will carry a pair of double-headers, starting on Wednesday with Purdue vs. Ohio State at 7 p.m. ET, followed by Minnesota vs. Northwestern at 9 p.m. ET. Big Ten Network will air two matches on Thursday with UCLA hosting Penn State at 9 p.m. ET and USC hosting Michigan State at 11 p.m. ET. Also on Thursday, Indiana hosts Wisconsin on FS1 at 7 p.m. ET. 
  • The AVCA added 16 players to its 2024 National Player of the Year Watch List on Friday, Oct. 18. Added to the list from the Big Ten were Minnesota’s Julia Hanson, Nebraska’s Andi Jackson, Oregon’s Onye Ofoegbu, Penn State’s Izzy Starck and Taylor Trammell and USC’s Ally Batenhorst. 
  • The NCAA committee announced its in-season top-16 rankings on Oct. 20. Seven Big Ten teams were among the top-16 including No. 1 Nebraska, No. 3 Penn State, No. 9 Wisconsin, No. 10 Oregon, No. 12 Purdue, No. 15 USC and No. 16 Minnesota.