2026 Big Ten Volleyball Power Rankings After Week 1

Power ranking all 18 Big 10 teams following week 1 of the 2026 college volleyball season.

Aug 27, 2026; Arlington, TX, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers players celebrate a point during their volleyball match against the SMU Mustangs at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-Imagn Images / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The college volleyball season is officially underway for the all Big Ten teams.

The league has often been touted as the hardest, most competitive conference in volleyball, and signs point toward multiple Big Ten teams making a strong run in the NCAA tournament for a National Championship.

With teams playing an uneven number of games against a variety of opponents, it can be difficult to know how good a team really is, particularly this early in the season. Beginning with the Big Ten Preseason poll, I used volleyball statistics (from the NCAA and Evollve.net) and a basic eye test to rank all 18 teams after their first week of play.

No. 1 Nebraska Cornhuskers (2-0, AVCA No. 1)

Previous position: No. 1 (no change)
Last Week: 3-0 vs. UNLV, 3-0 vs. No. 9 Texas

Nebraska has played two official games so far this season but absolutely dominated both. Nebraska has yet to allow an opponent to reach 20 points. They hit .297 on the weekend and held opponents to .130. The Huskers also had 60%+ serve receive and hitting effectiveness, and 90%+ attack conversion rates in each game across the weekend.

Nebraska’s non-conference is not strong, and they will not have many opportunities to be pushed until conference play starts. But they are still in a tier of their own early in the season, especially as their offense closes in on their defense.

Up Next: South Dakota State, DePaul, Missouri (Big Ten/SEC Challenge at Wrigley Field)

No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers (1-3, AVCA No. 5)

Wisconsin's Charlie Fuerbringer (24), Halle Thompson (67) and Natalie Wardlow (12) celebrate after a kill by Eva Travis (5) during an exhibition match on Saturday, April 18, 2026, at the Kress Center in Green Bay, Wis. Wisconsin won all five sets of the match. Tork Mason/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Previous Position: No. 2 (no change)
Last Week: 3-0 vs. No. 6 Louisville, 1-3 vs.  No. 4 Stanford, 0-3 vs. No. 3 Kentucky, 0-3 vs. No. 2 Pittsburgh

The young Wisconsin squad hasn’t had the start head coach Kelly Sheffield may have wanted, but they have also played four top 10 teams so far. They showed an impressive bounce-back from their season-opening loss during the AVCA First Serve but could not carry that momentum into their next two games at the First Spike Challenge.

When Wisconsin is playing the offense they want, they can be scary, and they have an incredibly high ceiling. Potential can only get a team so far, though, and the Badgers are currently on a bit of a precipice. Their roster talent, including the late addition of highly touted Puerto Rican national team outside hitter Decelise Champion, only allows them so much grace if they can’t scrape out more big wins.

Up Next: No. 17 Florida, Auburn (both Big Ten/SEC Challenge)

No. 3 USC Trojans (1-1, AVCA No. 15)

Previous Position: No. 7 (+4)
Last Week: 3-0 vs No. 7 Arizona State, 1-3 vs No. 10 Creighton

USC is the biggest mover in the power rankings thanks to a strong showing at the State Farm Volleyball Showcase. The Trojans outhit the Sun Devils .301 to .143 and stole a set from the Bluejays. Opposite Abigail Mullen and outside London Wijay shined in both matches in hitting percentages and overall impact. Mullen hit .321 vs. Creighton and Wijay scored a match-high 16.5 pts vs. Arizona State.

Up Next: Texas (Big Ten/SEC Challenge), San Diego

No. 4 Minnesota Golden Gophers (1-1, AVCA No. 11)

Goldie Gopher makes a heart with its hands during a NCAA Big Ten Conference football game against Iowa, Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. 211113 Minn Iowa Fb 040 Jpg / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Previous Position: No. 5 (+1)
Last Week: 0-3 vs. Arizona State, 3-0 vs. Creighton

Minnesota and USC had similar outcomes at the State Farm Volleyball Showcase, each going 1-1 against Arizona State and Creighton, though with opposite wins from one another.

The Gophers hit .239 against the Sun Devils and .298 against the Blue Jays. Their defense against Creighton made the difference for the Gophers. They held the Blue Jays to a .068 hitting percentage and had 8 blocks.

Up Next: Florida, Auburn (both Big Ten/SEC Challenge)

No. 5 Purdue Boilermakers (0-1, AVCA No. 14)

Previous Position: No. 4 (+1)
Last Week: 2-3 vs. Creighton

Purdue Redshirt Sophomore Grace Heaney (14) and Purdue Junior Dior Charles (9) watch as a ball goes over their blocks during the NCAA volleyball match between the Washington Huskies at the Purdue Boilermakers, Thursday, Sep. 25, 2025, at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Ind. Purdue won 3-0 in straight sets. / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Purdue was struck twice early in the season. First, the heartbreaking news that All-American Kenna Wollard (OH) would be out indefinitely for health-related reasons. Then, fellow All-American Grace Heaney (OH) was injured early in their game against Creighton, forcing the Boilermakers into a “next man up” for the second year in a row. Freshman Addy Tindall (OH) and Georgia Tech transfer Lameen Mambu (OH) rose to the challenge and pushed a top 10 team to a 5-set match, which they ultimately dropped.

Up Next: No. 12 Texas A&M, Georgia (both Big Ten/SEC Challenge), No. 18 TCU

No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0, AVCA No. 13)

Previous Position: No. 3 (-3)
Last Week: 3-0 vs. UConn, 3-2 vs. High Point, 3-0 vs. Hofstra
Up Next: Kentucky (Big Ten/SEC Challenge at Wrigley Field)

No. 7: Indiana Hoosiers (0-1, AVCA No. 21)

Previous Position: No 6 (-1)
Last Week: 0-3 vs. Louisville
Up Next: Georgia, Texas A&M (both Big Ten/SEC Challenge), No. 22 Tennessee

No. 8 Oregon Ducks (2-0, AVCA No. 25)

Previous Position: 8 (no change)
Last Week: 3-0 vs. (RV) Western Kentucky, 3-1 vs. Southeast Missouri State
Up Next: Missouri (Big Ten/SEC Challenge), LIU, Washington State

No. 9 UCLA Bruins (2-0, AVCA RV)

Previous Position: 9 (no change)
Last Week: 3-1 vs. Long Beach State, 3-0 vs. Long Beach State
Up Next: Kentucky (Big Ten/SEC Challenge), RV Miami (Fla.)

No. 10 Michigan Wolverines (2-0, AVCA RV)

Previous Position: 11 (+1)
Last Week: 3-0 vs. LIU, 3-0 vs. Miami
Up Next: South Carolina, LSU (both Big Ten/SEC Challenge), Cincinnati, Valparaiso

No. 11 Michigan State Spartans (2-0)

Previous Position: 12 (+1)
Last Week: 3-2 vs. (RV) Miami, 3-0 vs. LIU
Up Next: LSU, South Carolina (both Big Ten/SEC Challenge), Central Michigan

No. 12: Washington Huskies (3-0)

Previous Position: 13 (+1)
Last Week: 3-1 vs. UC Irvine, 3-0 vs. San Diego State, 3-2 vs. IU Indianapolis
Up Next: Ole Miss, Oklahoma (both Big Ten/SEC Challenge)

No. 13: Illinois Fighting Illini (1-1)

Previous Position: 13 (-3)
Last Week: 2-3 vs. Cincinnati, 3-0 vs. Syracuse
Up Next: Tennessee (Big Ten/SEC Challenge),  McNeese State, Rice

No. 14: Iowa Hawkeyes (3-0)

Previous Position: 15 (+1)
Last Week: 3-0 vs. Army, 3-1 vs. UAlbany, 3-0 vs. Sacred Heart
Up Next: Mississippi State, Alabama (both Big Ten/SEC Challenge)

No. 15: Ohio State Buckeyes (2-1)

Previous Position: 16 (+1)
Last Week: 1-3 vs. Bowling Green, 3-0 vs. Fresno State, 3-1 vs. Northern Kentucky
Up Next: Ole Miss, Oklahoma (both Big Ten/SEC Challenge)

No. 16: Maryland Terrapins (1-0)

Previous Position: 18 (+3)
Last Week: 3-0 vs. Howard
Up Next: Vanderbilt, Arkansas (both Big Ten/SEC Challenge), University of Maryland Eastern Shore

No. 17: Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2-1)

Previous Position: 17 (same)
Last Week: 2-3 vs. Purdue Fort Wayne, 3-1 vs. Bellarmine, 3-1 vs. Evansville
Up Next: Arkansas, Vanderbilt (both Big Ten/SEC Challenge)

No. 18 Northwestern Wildcats (1-3)

Previous Position: 13 (-4)
Last Week: 1-3 vs. George Mason, 2-3 vs. American, 3-0 vs. Georgetown
Up Next: Alabama, Mississippi State (both Big Ten/SEC Challenge)