2021 BIG TEN VOLLEYBALL WEEKLY RELEASE • SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

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BIG TEN WEEKLY RELEASE – SEPT. 29

 

  • Week two of the Big Ten season will feature five more matches televised on Big Ten Network and the FOX Sports app, including Friday’s top-10 battle in Madison when No. 5 Wisconsin welcomes No. 7 Minnesota (9 p.m. ET). That’s the nightcap of Friday’s BTN doubleheader and one of two twinbills on the network this week, with a pair of matches also on the airwaves Wednesday, plus Sunday’s 4 p.m. ET matinee featuring Michigan State at No. 12 Nebraska. All other Big Ten matches this week will be streamed live on the Big Ten’s digital subscription service, B1G+, with details available at bigtenplus.com.
  • The Big Ten continues to be tied for the national lead with its six teams in the AVCA Top 25 poll, all now among the top 15 in the country (of note, no other conference has more than three top-15 squads this week). Purdue moved up to a program-best No. 4 this week, one place ahead of Wisconsin, with Minnesota rising to No. 7, just ahead of No. 8 Ohio State. Nebraska held steady at No. 12, with Penn State the biggest riser this week, jumping six places to No. 14. In addition, two more Big Ten programs (Michigan and Maryland) are receiving votes, with the Terrapins making the season debut in the rankings.
  • The opening week of conference play provided a clear example of the depth and strength of the Big Ten this season, with then-No. 2 Wisconsin and No. 3 Ohio State both falling, while Maryland picked up its first-ever win over a top-10 opponent (vs. Wisconsin) and Penn State swept a top-three opponent for the first time in more than six years (vs. Ohio State). What’s more, close to half (5) of the 14 conference matches last week went the full five sets.
  • The Big Ten has four of the nation’s top 11 teams in terms of hitting percentage, according to Wednesday’s NCAA statistical rankings. Wisconsin is tops at .331, with Penn State rising to No. 8 (.303), followed closely by No. 9 Ohio State (.296), while Purdue is just outside the top 10 at 11th (.292). No other conference has more than two schools among the top 11 in the national hitting percentage rankings as of Wednesday.
  • Some of the Big Ten’s success this season can be traced to its ongoing proficiency at the net, where a full one-third (5) of the nation’s top 15 individuals in blocks per set reside in the conference. Maryland’s Rainelle Jones leads the nation at 1.98 blocks per set, followed by Michigan State’s Naya Gros (3rd – 1.79) and Penn State’s Kaitlyn Hord (4th – 1.76). Wisconsin’s Dana Rettke is next (8th – 1.53) with Minnesota’s Ellie Husemann up to 13th (1.44) after a career-high nine block assists last Sunday against Maryland.
  • Wisconsin graduate setter Sydney Hilley became the 26th player in Big Ten history to record 5,000 career assists, reaching the milestone in the Badgers’ five-set loss at Maryland on Sept. 24. Hilley currently stands 25th on the conference’s all-time assists chart with 5,090.
  • No fewer than 10 Big Ten programs are ranked in the top 25 in the latest NCAA attendance rankings through Monday’s matches, including three of the top four and four of the top 10 in the nation. Nebraska remains No. 1 (8,174 fans per match, with Wisconsin second (7,540) and Minnesota fourth (5,151). Penn State is up to No. 10 (2,744), followed by No. 12 Illinois (2,346), No. 13 Purdue (2,289) and No. 14 Michigan State (2,242). Ohio State is next at 19th (1,762), with No. 20 Michigan (1,582) and No. 24 Indiana (1,360) also among the top 25. By comparison, no other conference has more than three schools in the top 25 or one in the top 10.
  • Another example of the Big Ten’s attendance strength — of the 14 highest-attended NCAA Division I volleyball matches this season, all 14 featured a Big Ten school, including eight at Nebraska and five at Wisconsin (the 14th was a nation-leading 11,279 fans for Nebraska’s sweep at in-state foe Creighton on Sept. 8). Taking it further, of the 25 highest-attended Division I matches this year, 20 of them included a Big Ten school (with five more hosted by Minnesota, plus Northwestern’s 3-1 win at Colorado State on Aug. 28).
  • The Big Ten has announced the most robust volleyball television package in its history with a record-setting 53 matches scheduled for linear television coverage (47 on Big Ten Network, six on ESPN2/ESPNU), with the possibility of further broadcasts to be announced at a later date. In addition, all conference contests and many non-conference matches not scheduled for linear coverage are slated to be broadcast live on B1G+, the Big Ten Network’s subscription streaming service (bigtenplus.com).
  • Nine Big Ten alums played a vital role in the United States winning the gold medal at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. Illinois’ Michelle Bartsch-Hackley and Jordyn Poulter (plus Erin Virtue, who was an assistant coach for Team USA), Nebraska’s Jordan Larson, Kelsey Robinson and Justine Wong-Orantes, Penn State’s Micha Hancock and Haleigh Washington and Purdue’s Annie helped the U.S. earn its first-ever Olympic gold medal. Five other Big Ten alums served as alternates for Team USA — Minnesota’s Tori Dixon, Sarah Wilhite Parsons and Hannah Tapp, Penn State’s Megan Courtney and Wisconsin’s Lauren Carlini.
  • For the 15th consecutive season, Big Ten volleyball honored more than 70 Academic All-Big Ten standouts in 2020-21, as a record-setting 136 volleyball student-athletes were recognized, including a trio of Academic All-America selections in first-team honorees Lauren Swartz (Michigan State) and Sydney Hilley (Wisconsin), as well as second-team choice Lexi Sun (Nebraska).