Another week, another batch of dramatic matches and movement in the polls for the Big Ten teams. How did your team do? Read on to find out!

(All ranking numbers are from last week’s AVCA poll, current at the time the matches were played, published October 9, 2017)

Quick Hits

• FIVE of the top ten teams in the country are from the Big Ten. While the conference isn’t dominating the top spots as it did last season, this is still pretty darn impressive.
• #1 Florida finally lost a match (making them the last team in the country to remain perfect this season), which paved the way for Penn State to claim the top spot nationally.
• Per the Lincoln Journal-Star: “Penn State the fifth different team to be ranked No. 1 in the first nine polls of the season, which is a first in the history of the AVCA poll. The other No. 1 teams this season have been Texas, Stanford, Minnesota and Florida.”
• Husker fan favorite Olivia Boender, a junior from just outside of Lincoln, decided this week to end her playing career with a medical release due to ongoing health issues. An understandable choice, but definitely sad to see someone’s athletic career come to an end sooner than they’d hoped. :(
• RUTGERS WON A SET! This is not a drill! I repeat, this is not a drill! Habitually hapless Rutgers won a volleyball set against Michigan in a 3-1 loss on Friday. Turns out, this was a pretty stellar athletic weekend for the Piscatawegians.

Game Results

Wednesday, October 11, 2017

Iowa 3 - Indiana 1

Purdue 0 - Minnesota 3

Nebraska 1 - Wisconsin 3—Snake-bit Wisconsin finally got over the hump as they took out Nebraska in a thrilling four-set match in Madison. The Badgers rolled early, and took the first two sets easily. But the Huskers came out of the break and gave Wisconsin all they could handle. The fourth set was neck-and-neck, but the Badgers prevailed. Both teams served absolutely horrifically, so let’s hope no one has to watch that happen again this season, because it was rough.

Friday, October 13, 2017

Michigan 3 - Rutgers 1—Wisconsin wasn’t the only one getting a monkey off their back this week. This is the big one—Rutgers took the second set from Michigan 25-22. This marks Rutgers’ first victorious set in conference play since... November 18, 2015. Everyone on this site knows we like to laugh at Rutgers, but in all seriousness, good job, Scarlet Knights! You guys were overdue.

MSU 1 - PSU 3

OSU 0 - Illinois 3

Maryland 3 - Northwestern 2—A hard-fought five-setter showed that both of these teams recognized the importance of this match between teams who will find wins few and far between this season. The first set was a monster, with Northwestern finally winning it at the absurd score of 36-34(!!!) Even the fifth set went long, though less dramatically, with Maryland winning it all with a 17-15 final set.

Indiana 0 - Wisconsin 3

Saturday, October 14, 2017

Michigan 0 - PSU 3

Nebraska 3 - Purdue 1

MSU 3 - Rutgers 0

Maryland 0 - Illinois 3

OSU 3 - Northwestern 0

Sunday, October 15, 2017

Iowa 0 - Minnesota 3

Next Serve

BTN has really stepped up their volleyball broadcast schedule—five matches will be broadcast this weekend. Be sure to reward this positive development by tuning in! You’ll definitely want to watch Wisconsin at Minnesota if you can. (Husker fans, no BTN this week, but NET has your back!)

Wednesday, October 18

Wisconsin at Maryland - 6:00 pm (ET) (TELEVISED on BTN!)

Michigan at MSU - 7:00 pm

Minnesota at OSU - 8:00 pm (TELEVISED on BTN!)

Friday, October 20

Rutgers at Indiana - 6:00 pm (TELEVISED on BTN!)

PSU at Purdue - 8:00 pm (TELEVISED on BTN!)

Illinois at Iowa - 8:00 pm

Northwestern at Nebraska - 8:00 pm (Televised in Nebraska on NET)

Saturday, October 21

PSU at Indiana - 7:00 pm

MSU at Maryland - 7:00 pm

Rutgers at Purdue - 7:00 pm

Northwestern at Iowa - 8:00 pm

Illinois at Nebraska - 8:00 pm (Televised in Nebraska on NET)

Wisconsin at Minnesota - 8:30 pm (TELEVISED on BTN!) Only one night game in the football world and it being on ABC, BTN is actually airing a Saturday match, and it should be a treat!

Sunday, October 22

Michigan at OSU - 1:00 pm

Players of the Week - Week #8

Player of the Week: Alexis Hart of Minnesota earns Big Ten POTW honors for the first time in her career. She averaged 4.5 kills and 1.2 digs per set against Purdue and Iowa this weekend.

Defensive Player of the Week: Kendall White of Penn State recorded 26 digs, four assists, and a service ace to earn herself DPOTW honors for the first time in her career.

Setter of the Week: Samantha Seliger-Swenson of Minnesota wins this award again, and probably will many weeks this season. Notably this week, she registered a double-double with 36 assists and 15 digs in Minnesota’s victory over Purdue. This is her fourth time winning the award this season, and tenth overall.

Co-Freshmen of the Week: Megan Cooney of Illinois makes her first appearance on this list, averaging 3.2 kills per set over the weekend. Wisconsin’s Dana Rettke is here for the fifth time after earning a .459 hitting percentage in the Badgers’ two games this week.

Honorable Mention: Annika Albrecht’s popcorn consumption game:

Get it, girl! The hero America needs right now.

National Rankings - Week #8, October 16, 2017

#1 Penn State (PW: 2)

#5 Minnesota (PW: 6)

#7 Nebraska (PW: 4)

#9 Wisconsin (PW: 11)

#10 Michigan State (PW: 10)

#17 Purdue (PW: 16)

RV: Illinois (33), Michigan (19)(This one baffles me, to be honest)

Conference Standings

bigten.org