2026 Big Ten Volleyball Power Rankings: Big Ten Goes 41-3 in Week 4

The Big Ten has (mostly) concluded non-conference play this week and, like last week, had an impressive showing, going 41-3 overall and 2-1 versus ranked opponents.

There were 21 sweeps from 14 different teams and four teams (Maryland, Oregon, Purdue, and Washington) swept all their opponents this week. Granted, most of the final non-conference games were not as difficult as the ones many Big Ten teams have faced thus far. Overall, it was still a great week for the conference.

In non-con, the Big Ten has gone 145-38, with notable wins over No. 3 Louisville, No. 25 Creighton, No. 7 Texas, No. 9 Arizona State, No. 16 Texas A&M, No. 8 Florida, No. 17 Baylor, No. 12 Stanford, No. 5 SMU, and No. 24 North Carolina. Every team in the conference currently has a winning record and three are still undefeated.

Conference play kicks off this week for every team (Nebraska and Iowa both have one additional non-conference match as well). All teams will play their conference opponents only once this season, a change from years past where teams played two or three rivalry matches twice in a season. This change will make each conference match much more important and meaningful, not just for a conference title, but for seeding in the inaugural Big Ten Tournament (Nov. 20-25).

As weeks prior, utilizing records, wins, NCAA stats, EVOLLVE stats and the old-fashioned eye test, here is the final Big Ten Power Ranking heading into conference play.

No. 1 Nebraska Cornhuskers (10-0, AVCA No. 1)

Previous Position: No. 1 (no change)
Last Week: 3-0 vs. Creighton, 3-1 vs. North Carolina, 3-1 vs. Florida Gulf Coast

Another week, another series of Nebraska wins. Though this week did come with a touch more adversity, as the Huskers doubled their set-loss total to … three. It wouldn’t be worth mentioning except that with the schedule not being as strong as fans and the volleyball world would like, dropping sets (especially to an unranked Florida Gulf Coast) has increased the rumblings about Nebraska’s place in the polls. Evollve has, for the first time in almost a year, dropped Nebraska from their No. 1 rating of 67.0 to 65.4 (and moved them to No. 2 in their top 10 behind Pitt).

enjoy the rest of your weekend, Husker Nation! ☀️ pic.twitter.com/RU9GjIbvaq
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB) September 20, 2026

Should Nebraska fans be stressed about dropping THREE whole sets so far? Should Nebraska drop from the top spot in the Big Ten rankings?

No.

Two of the sets were against a ranked or receiving votes team and one was when Nebraska played all but two starters (and one of those starters is a brand-new starter this year) against a team that has not been swept yet this season (a statement that I believe can only be touted by a small number of teams so far this year, including five undefeated teams).

Moving into conference play will present more challenges for Nebraska than it might have experienced so far, but if the Huskers continue to play at the level they have been and continue to push through and bounce back from dropped sets, their goal of being four-time consecutive Big Ten Champions is still very realistic.

Up Next: Missouri (make up Big Ten/SEC Challenge game), Rutgers, Ohio State

No. 2: Wisconsin Badgers (6-4, AVCA No. 6)

Previous Position: No. 2 (no change)
Last Week: 3-1 vs. Marquette, 3-1 vs. Milwaukee

Part of what was appealing about this year’s Wisconsin team was the pure talent on the roster, even if it was new to the squad. That talent was on display this week. In its game against Marquette, freshmen Decelise Champion, Lynney Tarnow, and Audrey Flanagan all hit .400 or higher and accounted for nine of the 14 blocks.

Against Marquette, we saw transfer Eva Travis hit .571 with no errors, sophomore Natalie Wardlow hit .636 with one error, Champion hit .556 with one error, and freshman Kymora Scott (MB/RS) hit .579 with two errors and a team-high 14.5 points.

A pair of Badgers notch Big Ten honors this week!

Charlie named B1G Setter of the Week and Decelise B1G Freshman of the Week! pic.twitter.com/WSXKkw6iYh
— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) September 21, 2026

Talent has never been the issue with Wisconsin and when the Badgers are in system and able to play the way they want to play, they can beat just about anyone.

On the flip side, they are still a young team and there are elements of the college game that just take time to fully develop (specifically defense and serve receive). At times, the Badgers do not look like their youth, they were only aced once in their match against Milwuakee and had 9 blocks and 50 digs against Marquette. Other times, they get aced 8 times (Marquette) and allow opponents to hit well over .300 in a close set (Milwaukee). Inconsistency has been the running theme with Wisconsin, especially against ranked teams.

As they move into conference play, there’s no reason not to believe that Wisconsin won’t be a top 3 team (I know, that was a lot of negatives in one sentence) and won’t earn one of the four double-byes in the Big Ten Tournament.

Up Next: No. 20 Oregon, No. 10 Purdue

No. 3: Purdue Boilermakers (7-2, AVCA No. 10)

Previous Position: No. 3 (no change)
Last Week: 3-0 vs. UAlbany, 3-0 vs. UCF

After the Baha Mar Invitational, Purdue’s head coach Dave Shondell had seven blunt words.

“Grace Heiney is working back into form.”

The Boilermakers definitely look back to form after a bit of a stumble early in their season. Since its loss to TCU in early September, Purdue has now won 15 straight sets by an average of 7.2 points per set and has held its opponents to an average of 18.4 points per set. No one on their team had a negative hitting percentage this week and as a team, the Boilermakers never had a hitting percentage below .314 in any set.

1⃣4⃣3⃣-2⃣2⃣ non-con season record since 2010. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/gHADYNYOt5
— Purdue Volleyball (@PurdueVB) September 21, 2026

Purdue is a talented team, no one who plays NCAA volleyball at any level is not talented, but it is also an underrated and heart-led team.

Taylor Anderson is arguably a top-three setter in the Big Ten and one of the most aggressive setters at the net. Ryan McAleer is a top-five libero in the Big Ten and joins the club of “littles” with misleading statistics. McAleer “only” has 108 digs (two more than Nebraska’s Olivia Mauch but 51 fewer than UCLA’s Lola Schumacher, considered to be two of the best liberos in the Big Ten).

Most of this Purdue squad is well experienced at overcoming expectations and shutting out outside noise about their team. They proved it last year. After a slow start, they finally look poised and ready to push every (yes, every) Big Ten team this season and earn one of those coveted double-byes.

Up Next: Maryland, No. 6 Wisconsin

No. 4: Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-2, AVCA No. 15)

Previous Position: No. 4 (no change)
Last Week: 3-1 vs. South Dakota, 3-1 vs. South Dakota State

Like most of the teams in the Big Ten so far, when Minnesota is clicking, it looks like a team that could beat anyone.

Compared to last year, the Gophers have increased its kills per set (from 12.82 to 13.73), hitting percentage per set (.283 to .299), aces per set (1.68 to 2.14), and digs per set (12.88 to 13.04). The Gophers are beating the teams they’re supposed to beat and even in their losses, they played competitively, with an average point differential in those games of 2.5 points.

AND ANOTHER FOR WUCHERER ‼️https://t.co/A6SBylngUQ pic.twitter.com/WcGjbUKji9
— Minnesota Volleyball (@GopherVBall) September 21, 2026

Getting McKenna Wucherer back was always going to be a positive impact for the Gophers but people may not have realized just HOW big of an impact she was going to be. In 2024, she had the 20th-best hitting percentage for an outside hitter in the Big Ten.

In 2026? The best. For all positions, she’s 13th. She has the third -highest number of service aces, regardless of position, and the second-most points for an outside hitter in the conference. She is currently the best outside hitter in the conference.

Minnesota will need more consistent help from its other offensive weapons, specifically the middles who are hitting .242, putting them near the bottom of the Big Ten.

Minnesota, like Nebraska, Wisconsin, and Purdue, should earn one of the four double-byes in the Big Ten tournament. They have gotten better as their non-conference has gone on, looking completely different from the team that had two disappointing exhibition matches against Texas before the season began.

Up Next: Illinois, No. 25 Oregon

No. 5: Penn State Nittany Lions (8-2, AVCA No. 14)

𝒮𝓌𝑒𝓅𝓉 𝓅𝒶𝓈𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝐵𝓊𝓁𝓁𝓈 🟥

🦁 Martin - 15 kills, .609, 8 digs, 2 blocks
🦁 Nichols - 7 kills, .357, 7 blocks
🦁 Jones - 6 kills, .556, 2 blocks, 2 aces#WeAre pic.twitter.com/ogL4Uaj87U
— Penn State Women’s Volleyball (@PennStateVBALL) September 19, 2026

Previous Position: No. 5 (no change)
Last Week: 3-1 vs. Villanova, 3-1 vs. South Florida, 1-3 vs. No. Tennessee

Penn State was one of the few Big Ten teams this week to notch a loss but they’re one of two Big Ten teams to play a ranked team.

The Nittany Lions also weren’t massively outplayed by the Big Ten teams closest to them in the power rankings, so there was not a strong argument to be made to drop them out of the top five this week.

I have not been as bullish on Penn State as others in the media. The transfers that head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley brought in are high-caliber offensive weapons and have helped prevent any further spiral from last season.

Setter Alexis Stucky may end up being the biggest transfer impact in the Big Ten because of her ability to better balls from anywhere on the court. And it’s fun for fans to see “Big Hit” Whit back on the court, but when she struggles offensively, the team struggles. That’s not to put all the responsibility on her, but it shows that when the Nittany Lions’ offense is balanced, they are able to find success. When they become overly reliant on one player (typically All-American Opposite Kennedy Martin, who is currently getting fewer attempts per set than last season but with a relatively similar hitting percentage), they show shades of 2025.

I think they’re better than that 2025 team that was maybe a little mentally bogged down by early-season interpersonal issues and team changes that forced players into roles they were never intended to be in at that point in their development.

It feels like a more mature team. The Nittany Lions look like they don't get as rattled and can come together and fight for points in every match. There are only four double-byes in the Big Ten Tournament. As they stand pre-conference play, I’m not confident they’d earn one. But conference play will be an excellent opportunity for them to play more ranked teams and really prove themselves to people who still question what kind of team they’re going to end up being this year.

Up Next: Michigan, Michigan State (RV)

No. 6: Indiana Hoosiers (7-2, AVCA No. 18)

Previous Position: 6 (-1)
Last Week: 3-1 vs. Coastal Carolina, 3-1 vs. NC State
Up Next: UCLA (RV), Maryland

No. 7: Michigan State Spartans (10-0, AVCA RV)

Previous Position: 8 (+1)
Last Week: 3-1 vs. Oakland, 3-0 vs. Drake, Wright State cancelled (campus-wide power outage, will not be rescheduled)
Up Next: Washington, No. 14 Penn State

No. 8: Washington Huskies (9-0)

Previous Position: 9 (+1)
Last Week: 3-0 vs. South Dakota State, 3-0 vs. South Dakota
Up Next: Michigan State (RV), Iowa

No. 9: USC Trojans (6-4, AVCA No. 23)

Previous Position: 7 (-2)
Last Week: 3-1 vs. UC Davis, 0-3 vs. Pepperdine, 3-0 vs. UC Santa Barbara
Up Next: Northwestern, Illinois

No. 10: Oregon Ducks (9-1, AVCA No. 20)

Previous Position: 8 (-2)
Last Week: 3-0 vs. Portland State, 3-0 vs. Oregon State
Up Next: No. 6 Wisconsin, No. 15 Minnesota

No. 11: UCLA (9-2, RV)

Previous Position: 11 (same)
Last Week: 3-0 vs. Iowa State, 3-0 vs. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 3-2 vs. Hawaii
Up Next: No. 18 Indiana, Northwestern

No. 12: Michigan Wolverines (9-2)

Previous Position: 12 (same)
Last Week: 3-1 vs. Eastern Michigan, 3-0 vs. Cornell, 3-0 vs. Cornell
Up Next: No. 14 Penn State, Washington

No. 13: Maryland Terrapins (10-1)

Previous Position: 13 (same)
Last Week: 3-0 vs. Campbell, 3-0 vs. East Carolina, 3-0 vs. Old Dominion
Up Next: No. 10 Purdue, No. 18 Indiana

No. 14: Iowa Hawkeyes (10-3)

Previous Position: 15 (+1)
Last Week: 3-0 vs. Drake, 3-2 vs. West Florida, 3-1 vs. Texas Tech, 3-1 vs. Central Arkansas
Up Next: Milwaukee, Ohio State, Rutgers

No. 15: Rutgers Scarlett Knights (9-2)

Previous Position: 14 (-1)
Last Week: 3-2 vs. Bryant, 1-3 vs. Penn, 3-2 vs. St. John’s
Up Next: No. 1 Nebraska, Iowa

No. 16: Illinois Fighting Illini (8-3)

Previous Position: 16 (same)
Last Week: 3-1 vs. Eastern Illinois, 3-0 vs. Arkansas, 3-0 vs. Arkansas State
Up Next: No. 15 Minnesota, No. 23 USC

No. 17: Ohio State Buckeyes (7-3)

Previous Position: 17 (same)
Last Week: 3-2 vs. Virginia, 3-0 vs. Virginia
Up Next: Iowa, No. 1 Nebraska

No. 18: Northwestern (7-4)

Previous Position: 18 (same)
Last Week: 3-1 vs. Ball State, 3-0 vs. IU Indy
Up Next: No. 23 USC, UCLA (RV)

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