Big Ten Weekly Volleyball Central Nov. 20-26

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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. 4 Penn State, No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 8 Purdue, No. 13 Oregon, No. 16 Minnesota and No. 21 USC. Washington is receiving votes.
Six Big Ten teams are among the Top 25 in the latest RPI rankings: #1 Nebraska, #6 Penn State, #9 Wisconsin, #16 USC, #17 Purdue and #18 Oregon. The six teams are tied with the Big 12 for the most of any conference in the Top 25. Three additional teams are among the Top 50 in RPI, including #27 Illinois, #29 Minnesota and #33 Washington.
Bergen Reilly (6th), Taylor Anderson (9th), Izzy Starck (10th) and Charlie Fuerbringer (12th) rank among the nation’s top setters in assists per set. The Big Ten’s four in the Top 15 are the most of any Division I conference. These setters are cueing a potent offense for each of their respective Big Ten schools. Penn State is third in the nation, averaging 14.56 kills per set, followed by Nebraska (7th - 14.27), Purdue (10th - 14.19) and Wisconsin (25th - 13.88).
Penn State’s Taylor Trammell leads the nation with a .466 hitting percentage (197-32-354).
Phoebe Awoleye reached 600 career blocks on Nov. 14 at Nebraska. She currently holds 609, which is third among all active Division I players in that category.
Already the owner of Indiana’s all-time aces record, setter Camryn Haworth became Indiana’s all-time leader in assists (during the rally-scoring era), after recording 28 assists against Iowa to take her career tally to 3,727. Haworth surpassed Megan Tallman’s previous record of 3,711 assists.
Two weeks remain in the regular season, and this week features four key matchups for Big Ten opponents in the Top 25. No. 6 Wisconsin welcomes No. 16 Minnesota to Madison on Wednesday for a 9 p.m. ET first serve on Big Ten Network. Action continues with No. 4 Penn State vs. No. 8 Purdue on Thursday at 6 p.m. ET on BTN. The Boilermakers will see another ranked opponent on Saturday, welcoming No. 21 USC to West Lafayette for a 7 p.m. ET start on B1G+. Looking to extend its nation-leading home win streak to 41 and earn a season sweep of #6 Wisconsin, #2 Nebraska hosts the Badgers on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET on BTN.
Nebraska’s 3-1 win over Minnesota on Thursday, Nov. 14, drew an average of 250,000 viewers on Big Ten Network. On Saturday, Nebraska vs. Indiana averaged 174,000 viewers on the Network.
The NCAA Division I Volleyball Championship bracket will be announced on Sunday, Dec. 1, at 6 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Big Ten Champion will be the conference’s automatic qualifier for the 2024 Tournament, which features 64 teams (32 AQ’s, 32 at-large). The national semifinals and final will be held at the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., on Dec. 19 (semifinals) and Dec. 22 (final).
The AVCA has revealed 14 semifinalists for the AVCA Division I Player of the Year award. Five from Big Ten institutions are among the 14 semifinalists. The 2024 AVCA Player of the Year will be announced on Friday, Dec. 20, in Louisville, KY, during the AVCA Convention.