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Nebraska Tops Big Ten Power Rankings as League Play Begins

The non-conference slate is complete and league play is coming up quickly. Here are the first Big Ten Power Rankings of the season from Lincoln Arneal.
Lincoln Arneal|
Nebraska has gone 10-0 during the non-conference portion of its schedule, just one of two undefeated Big Ten teams.
Nebraska has gone 10-0 during the non-conference portion of its schedule, just one of two undefeated Big Ten teams. | Nebraska Athletics

In this story:

Nebraska CornhuskersNebraska CornhuskersMichigan State SpartansMichigan State SpartansMichigan WolverinesMichigan WolverinesMinnesota Golden GophersMinnesota Golden GophersIndiana HoosiersIndiana HoosiersOregon DucksOregon DucksPurdue BoilermakersPurdue BoilermakersUSC TrojansUSC TrojansWisconsin BadgersWisconsin BadgersNorthwestern WildcatsNorthwestern WildcatsIowa HawkeyesIowa HawkeyesRutgers Scarlet KnightsRutgers Scarlet KnightsMaryland TerrapinsMaryland TerrapinsPenn State Nittany LionsPenn State Nittany LionsUCLA BruinsUCLA BruinsIllinois Fighting IlliniIllinois Fighting IlliniWashington HuskiesWashington HuskiesOhio State BuckeyesOhio State Buckeyes

The first segment of the season is over, and a 10-week, 20-match Big Ten journey begins this week. It’s a good time to see who made an impression during the first month of the season, who feasted on cupcakes and who might be in for a long season. 

When examining these rankings, it’s best to consider them as tiers. The first tier has Nebraska and Wisconsin, which have a case to be included in it, but lack a top-10 win. Then 2/3-6 in the second make up the second tier of teams that are in the hunt to host during the first weekend of the NCAA tournament. Teams 7-10 are in the postseason hunt, while 11-18 still have work to prove they can move up with quality wins.

1. Nebraska, 10-0

Andi Jackson sends a kill in the first set.
Andi Jackson and the Huskers have three wins over Top 10 opponents this season. | Amarillo Mullen

Best win: 3-1 over No. 5 Pittsburgh 

The hardest part of putting the Huskers No. 1 was picking their best win. The sweep over Stanford was the most efficient and over the highest-ranked team. The five-set win over Kentucky showed the team’s depth and ability to make in-game adjustments. We’re going with Pitt in this space because it set the tone for the season, and the second set dominance over the Panthers (25-11) showed the ceiling of this team. 

2. Wisconsin, 7-1

Best win: 3-2 over No. 14 Kansas

The Badgers have shaken off some early-season struggles and emerged as an efficient attacking team led by outside hitter Mimi Colyer, who is averaging a league-best 5.35 kills per set on a .361 hitting percentage. Grace Egan’s success has been the key for the Badgers as she’s put up 3.09 kills per set while playing opposite. Una Vajagic has also emerged as an offensive threat. UW has three ranked wins, but missed a big opportunity against Texas. After a close first set against the Longhorns, they were dominated in a sweep. 

3. Purdue, 9-1

Best Win: 3-1 over No. 10 SMU

After getting beaten up in the transfer portal, Purdue coach Dave Shondell has assembled a solid team. Kenna Wollard has recorded 180 kills in 10 matches. After missing last year with an injury, Grace Heaney has emerged as a good No. 2 option. The Elkhorn North graduate put up 19 kills in a win against SMU. While adding this many transfers can take time, the Boilermakers have hit the ground running and have gelled quickly. 

4. Minnesota, 10-1

Best Win: 3-1 over South Dakota State

The Gophers played their only nonconference match against a rated opponent to open the season and dropped a four-setter to Texas A&M in Sioux Falls, S.D. We should learn Minnesota has had rotten health luck this season as they’ve lost three starters to injury: outside hitter Mckenna Wucherer (back), libero Zeynep Palabiyik (knee) and middle blocker Calissa Minatee (lower body). In turn, the Gophers have turned to their youth with freshmen stepping in at libero and middle blocker. The good news is they still have Julia Hanson and Stella Swensen has the offense functioning at a high level. 

5. Penn State, 6-4

Best Win: 3-0 over No. 12 Creighton

It’s hard to know what to make of the Nittany Lions right now. They started the year strong with wins over Creighton and Kansas and looked like a national title contender, but then they suffered losses to TCU and Arizona State. Since setter Izzy Starck decided to step away, Penn State has defeated New Hampshire, Bucknell, Princeton (in five sets) and Central Michigan, but lost matches to Kentucky and Pitt. Kennedy Martin is elite and will keep the Nittany Lions in almost every match, but her hitting percentage has dropped from .362 last year to .303. The project to flip Caroline Jurevicius to the left pin hasn’t always been smooth, but freshman Alexis Ewing has shown potential. 

6. USC, 9-1

Best Win: 3-0 over No. 13 Creighton

The Trojans have largely taken care of business with only a straight-set loss to undefeated BYU. Freshman opposite Abigail Mullen (3.31 kills per set) has made an immediate impact, along with her former club teammate, setter Reese Messer, who averages 10.49 assists per set. USC only has one ranked win, but they’ve played a solid schedule that includes LSU, San Diego and UC Santa Barbara. We should figure out how legit USC is when they open Big Ten play against Penn State. 

7. Indiana, 9-1

Best Win: 3-2 over Miami

The Hoosiers haven’t played the most demanding schedule, but they’ve won matches they should have and looked impressive doing so. Their lone setback came against Western Kentucky, which is just outside the rankings. As of last Friday, Indiana led the NCAA with a .346 hitting percentage. Even against the scrubbiest of scrubs, that’s an impressive feat. Candela Alonso-Corcelles is averaging 3.74 kills per set with a .345 hitting percentage, and Avry Tatum is at 3.56 kills per set at a .436 clip. Teodora Kričković, a freshman from Serbia, is running the show. Although it’s a tad pin-heavy, the Hoosiers are getting it done with a loss to Western Kentucky as the only blemish. 

8. UCLA, 6-4

Best Win: 3-0 over UTEP

While all of Purdue’s new pieces have fit together well, the Bruins haven’t quite clicked yet. They lost twice to a rising TCU team, but also came up short against Pepperdine and Stanford. The team is hitting .222, and leading attacker Cheridyn Leverette is hitting below .200. After putting up 463 kills last year, Maggie Li’s role has been reduced after early-season struggles. The good news is that former Louisville middle blocker PK Kong made her season debut this past weekend. 

9. Illinois, 5-4

Best Win: 3-0 over Cincinnati

The Illini had a tough schedule to start the season as its first five matches were in five different states. Their season began with a setback against South Dakota State in Cedar Falls, Iowa. Illinois won matches in Nashville and South Bend, Indiana, before losing at Louisville. Things haven’t improved as they went 2-1 at a tournament in Illinois State and 1-1 in their home opening weekend. Opponents are hitting a Big Ten-high .257 against the Illini (one point lower than their offensive efficiency), and they have the lowest block per set in the league. 

10. Michigan, 10-1

Best Win: 3-0 win over Cincinnati

The Wolverines are a highly offensive team. They are hitting .311 as a team and have three players hitting above .400 this season: Serena Nyambio (74 kills, .471), Lydia Johnson (91, .436) and Jenna Hanes (65, .426). Sixth-year senior Allison Jacobs averages 4.32 kills per set. Michigan’s only setback came during a split weekend at Virginia as it lost a five-setter on Sept. 12 and then came back with a sweep the next day. 

11. Northwestern, 10-2

Best Win: 3-0 over Campbell

The Wildcats built up their resume with wins against soft opponents, but a grueling travel schedule took them to California, Texas, New York, and Rhode Island. While it’s a little early to rely on the RPI, Northwestern has played three top 100 opponents, going 1-2 against them. Eight of their wins have come against teams ranked 200 or worse. The Wildcats were up 2-1 against then-No. 20 Baylor before falling in the fifth set. 

12. Washington, 5-5

Best Win: 3-0 over Northern Iowa

The Huskies started the season 1-3 with losses to Northern Colorado, Colgate and SMU. However, they’ve rebounded a bit. Washington went with Colorado transfer Taylor Simpson at setter to start the season, but switched to sophomore Alexis Haury. Statistically, the Huskies rank in the bottom four in most major categories (kills, assists, blocks, and digs per set), but they have served well with 73 aces this year. 

13. Oregon, 9-1

Best Win: 3-2 over Colorado State

The Ducks are another program that got fat off weaker competition. Still, the schedule has allowed first-year coach Trent Kersten to figure out what he has on his roster after he essentially built a roster from scratch, as he only had one player return from last year. Michigan transfer Valentina Vaulet leads Oregon’s offense with 3.25 kills per set, while freshman Alanah Clemente (3.0 k/s) has emerged as her running mate, and Iva Sucurovic has recorded 58 blocks already.. It might be a long conference season for Kersten, but he should have some pieces for the future. 

14. Michigan State, 10-0

Best Win: 3-2 over Appalachian State 

Speaking of first-year coaches finding their footing, the Spartans and Kristen Kelsay have played a lot of lightweights (strength of schedule rank: 290), but they are one of just eight undefeated teams. MSU has handled its opponents and, in averaging 14.16 kills per set, is the third-best in the league. After struggling last season, Taylah Holdem has regained the form that helped her earn Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors. She’s putting up 4.33 kills per set while hitting .276. Marquette transfer (and Lincoln Southwest) Malayah Long has looked solid running the offense. 

15. Iowa, 9-3

Best Win: 3-2 over Utah Tech

The Hawkeyes started strong by winning their first six matches, but the streak stopped at Southeast Missouri. All of the Hawkeyes’ losses have come in the fifth set, including to in-state rival Iowa State. Iowa leads the league in kills, thanks in part to its Big Ten-best 45 sets played, but it doesn’t have a player averaging more than three kills per set. Four players have at least two kills per set, led by 2.8 kills per set from Chard’e Vanzandt. 

16. Maryland, 7-3

Best Win: 3-2 over Davidson

The record looks shiny, but it has come against a bunch of small East Coast teams. The Terrappins had defeated one team with a record better than .500 (6-5 Seton Hall). Maryland has played a couple of old ACC rivals, but lost in four sets to North Carolina and Wake Forest. One thing the Terps continue to do well is blocking. They average 3.01 blocks per set, which is second in the Big Ten. 

17. Ohio State, 3-5

Best Win: 3-2 over Troy

The Buckeyes are the only Big Ten team that enters league play with a losing record. This season has not gone well for The Ohio State University. VCU, which is currently 2-6, handed them a loss to start the year. They’ve played four five-set matches, dropping matches to Wright State and Virginia. The Buckeyes are hitting .208, which is only ahead of Maryland, while opponents have a 0.234 hitting percentage. 

18. Rutgers, 8-3

Best Win: 3-0 over Coppin State

Another team whose record looks nice, but the schedule has been Charmin soft. The Scarlet Knight got swept by 12-1 Liberty, but also lost to 3-6 Buffalo. Their eight wins have come against teams with a combined record of 27-62. Their offensive stats are in the middle of the league, while Sophomore Aspen Maxwell is averaging 4.26 kills per set, and Lexi Visintine has 21 aces this season. 

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Lincoln Arneal
LINCOLN ARNEAL

Lincoln Arneal covers Nebraska volleyball for HuskerMax and posts on social media about the Big Ten and national volleyball stories. He previously covered the program for Huskers Illustrated and the Omaha World-Herald and is a frequent guest on local and national sports talk shows and podcasts. Lincoln hosts the Volleyball State Podcast with Jeff Sheldon.

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