2026 Big Ten Volleyball Power Rankings: Week 6 Brings More Upsets and Movement

If you thought Big Ten volleyball would settle into a comfortable, familiar place after the first week, you don't know Big Ten volleyball.

From (nearly) top to (nearly) bottom, teams were pushed to their brink over the last weekend, with some hanging onto their wins and spots in the rankings and others watching their hope for a single (or double, in some cases) bye in the Big Ten Tournament slip away.

Coming into the weekend, two teams (Nebraska and Washington) were undefeated. Now, only one remains. Four teams (Michigan State, Nebraska, Oregon, and Wisconsin) won both of their matches this weekend, but only Nebraska swept the weekend.

Similar to last week, very few teams are unchanged, with a ton of movement in the rankings. A couple pre-season conference favorites have fallen out of the top five while a few under-the-radar teams continue to make their moves towards the top.

No. 1: Nebraska Cornhuskers (15-0, 4-0, AVCA No. 1)

Previous Position: No. 1 (No Change)
Last Week: 3-0 vs. No. 18 Penn State, 3-0 vs. Maryland

Last week, Nebraska faced its first top-20 opponent since the end of August, when the Huskers took on No. 8 Texas when they traveled to the East Coast to battle Penn State and Maryland.

Anytime the Huskers play the Nittany Lions, fans are sure to see fireworks and this year was no different.

Like clockwork. ⏰@aandijackson is your BACK-TO-BACK @B1GVolleyball Player of the Week! pic.twitter.com/pBtPDjaJ5T
— Nebraska Volleyball (@HuskerVB) October 5, 2026

Former Husker and Texas Longhorn Whitney Lauenstein and former Florida Gator Kennedy Martin led Penn State to a .280 hitting percentage (the second-highest Nebraska has allowed all season) but Nebraska's Harper Murray used the animosity between teams and fans, to pick up 13 kills with only one error.

Reigning AVCA Player of the Week (and now back-to-back Big Ten Player of the Week) Andi Jackson picked up where she left off, hitting .625 with a match-high six blocks as the Huskers swept Penn State 3-0 and head coach Dani Busboom Kelley picked up her 250th career win.

Against Maryland, Jackson once again showed why she's one of the best college volleyball players in the Big Ten and the country. She was responsible for 20.5 of Nebraska's points off of 12 kills, five blocks, and six aces (tying a rally-scoring era team high).

Setter Bergen Reilly, who tweaked her ankle early in the Penn State match, sat out, giving Campbell Flynn a golden opportunity to shine with 35 assists, eight digs, four blocks, and two kills. With the sweep over Maryland, Nebraska has improved its road and neutral-site win streak to 22 matches, tied for 12th all-time in the NCAA and the longest nationally since 2011.

EVOLLVE has moved Nebraska back to their number one spot following the dominant weekend but the Huskers can't rest on their laurels just yet. Looming in front of them is a pair of top-15 opponents that will likely have the strongest impact on who wins the Big Ten this year.

Up Next: No. 15 Indiana, No. 7 Wisconsin

No. 2 Wisconsin Badgers (10-4, 4-0, AVCA No. 7)

Previous Position: No. 2 (No Change)
Last Week: 3-2 vs. No. 15 Indiana, 3-1 vs. No. 21 Minnesota

Wisconsin continued their journey in 2026 against ranked teams, with a pair of top 20(ish) matchups at home this past weekend.

Early in the match against Indiana, Wisconsin looked true to anticipated form but a lineup change and reduced Indiana errors showed vulnerability and forced this anticipated matchup to go five.

Flowers for Audrey!

📝 | https://t.co/tq4RKRVVbu pic.twitter.com/CoLEm5Q0V0
— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) October 5, 2026

Big Ten Freshman of the Week, Audrey Flanagan, showed why she shouldn't be overlooked for National Freshman of the Year, getting 17 kills and hitting .441 for the match.

Flanagan had another massive match in the border battle against Minnesota, racking up 14 kills on 39 swings, hitting .231. But it was the Badgers' defense that stepped up another level, with three different players (middle blockers Jaela August and Lynney Tarnow and outside hitter Eva Travis) accumulating 6 blocks each, one less than the Gophers had all match. Their 13 blocks are the best the Wisconsin defense has had against a ranked opponent since their 17 total blocks against No. 12 Texas A&M on Sept. 11.

The Badgers get a small break before ramping up to their biggest match of the regular season and conference next week. If Wisconsin can play a complete game with their offense firing and net defense on point, they could make the biggest splash of the season so far.

Up Next: Maryland, No. 1 Nebraska

No. 3 Indiana Hoosiers (10-3, 3-1, AVCA No. 15)

Previous Position: 4 (+1)
Last Week: 2-3 vs No. 7 Wisconsin, 3-1 vs. Rutgers

Indiana, despite a loss this weekend, has been the only Big Ten team, so far, to push Wisconsin to the point of discomfort. It's not a moral victory (those don't exist) but they do, currently, appear to be the third-best team in the conference because no other team has pushed one of the big dogs as hard.

The Hoosiers' fast-paced offense has been particularly balanced over the weekend, with three players notching double-digit kills in each game. Opposite Avry Tatum and outside Jaidyn Jager had 28 and 30 kills, respectively, across the weekend, while freshman Sara Snowbarger had 11 kills versus Wisconsin and middle Kiki Granberry had 11 against Rutgers.

At the helm, setter Teodora Krickovic set a career high in assists against Wisconsin (54) and 42 against Rutgers, averaging nearly 11 assists a set.

Battle tested. 😤 pic.twitter.com/FIp1rRBU4W
— Indiana Volleyball (@IndianaVB) October 5, 2026

There are no weeks off in the Big Ten but the Hoosiers are about to get hit with their double-whammy this week as they prepare to take on the second giant of the conference. The scrappy defense and service pressure, especially in the middle sets against Wisconsin, can frustrate any team to the point where Indiana just has to wait for them to make mistakes. They will need to be even more aggressive this weekend.

Coming Up: No. 1 Nebraska, USC (RV)

No. 4 Michigan State Spartans (13-1, 3-1, AVCA No. 22)

Previous Position: 6 (+2)
Last Week: 3-0 UCLA (RV), 3-2 USC (RV)

Welcome to the AVCA top 25 and the Big Ten top five, Michigan State!

Michigan State could have had a hangover effect this weekend. The Spartans were coming off a historic win over Penn State and had to travel to the West Coast to play two California teams that are receiving votes in the AVCA poll. They could have, but they didn't.

Playmaker. @malayah_long has been named the @AVCAVolleyball Player of the Week. ⭐️✊ First Spartan named AVCA POW since Lauren Kosecki (Wicinski) in 2013. pic.twitter.com/ouaT8FkCP5
— Michigan State Volleyball (@MSU_Volleyball) October 6, 2026

Against UCLA, the Spartans had a side-out percentage of 72 percent, while holding the Bruins to 47.9 percent, meaning Michigan State went on multiple service runs and prevented opponent service runs. And they did it by applying service pressure to knock UCLA out of system (as a team, they hit .039 for the match) until their offense could get going consistently.

After a slow start in set one (.162 team hitting percentage), AVCA Player of the Week, setter Malayah Long, led her offense to a blistering .345 and .409 to finish the match.

USC gave Michigan State a big test, pushing the Spartans to only their second five-set match of the season. The Spartans had to overcome a shaky, uncohesive start in the first set and, even though they lost the third set, were able to maintain a high level of play from set two onward.

Three Michigan State players, senior outside hitters Karolina Staniszewska and Alanna Bankston, and senior middle blocker Zora Hardison, all had more kills than USC's leader. Not only were they balanced, but they were able to figure out the Trojans' powerful block to earn their second five-set win.

Michigan State is a team that believes in itself and is playing energized. They'll have another opportunity for a ranked win this week and perhaps enter the AVCA top 20 for the first time in nearly a decade.

Up Next: No. 13 Oregon, Iowa

No. 5 Washington Huskies (12-1, 3-1, AVCA No. 20)

Previous Position: No. 4 (-1)
Last Week: 0-3 vs. No. 24 Illinois, 3-0 vs. No. 16 Purdue

Last week was a tale of two matches for Washington. After dethroning Michigan State the week before, Washington dropped its first match of the season (and conference play) to a red-hot Illinois team.

Top-20 unlocked 🔓#PointHuskies pic.twitter.com/74sF63GU57
— Washington Volleyball (@UWVolleyball) October 5, 2026

The Huskies played the Illini close through all three sets, but were unable to overcome the persistent defense of Illinois. Head coach Leslie Gabriel even attempted a 6-2 in the third set to help their offense get some points but it just wasn't enough.

With only a day to lick their wounds and recover, Washington responded loudly against Purdue, beating the Boilermakers for the first time since joining the Big Ten and earning their first win over a (at the time) ranked opponent in 2026. The sweep was also the Huskie's first sweep over a top-10 team in six years. Washington dominated nearly every statistical category, outhitting the Boilermakers 43-33 and racking up eight aces to Purdue's one.

The Huskies won't get to celebrate their home win for long as they gear up for a cross-country trip this week for yet another opportunity for a ranked win. It's a good sign for Washington that they were able to not only recover from a loss but to recover quickly and as strongly as they did. No one's conference schedule is easy in the Big Ten, but they have a guantlet over the next couple of weeks and will need that mental fortitude to stay competitive and continue their upward climb in the rankings.

Up Next: Ohio State, No. 18 Penn State

No. 6 Oregon Ducks (10-2, 1-1, AVCA No. 13)

Previous Position: No. 8 (+2)
Last Week: 3-2 vs. No. 16 Purdue, 3-1 vs. No 24 Illinois
Up Next: No. 22 Michigan State, Michigan

No. 7 Purdue Boilermakers (8-5, 1-3, AVCA No. 16)

Previous Position: No. 3 (-4)
Last Week: 2-3 vs. No 13 Oregon, 0-3 vs. No. 20 Washington
Up Next: USC (RV), No. 24 Illinois

No. 8 Illinois Fighting Illini (11-4, 3-1, AVCA No. 24)

Previous Position: No. 10 (+2)
Last Week: 3-0 vs. No. 20 Washington, 1-3 vs. No. 13 Oregon
Up Next: No. 7 Wisconsin, No. 16 Purdue

No. 9 Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-4, 1-3, AVCA No. 21)

Previous Position: No. 9 (No Change)
Last Week: 3-0 vs. Northwestern, 1-3 vs. No. 7 Wisconsin
Up Next: Rutgers, Ohio State

No 10. Penn State Nittany Lions (10-4, 2-2, No. 18)

Previous Position: No. 7 (-3)
Last Week: 0-3 vs. No. 1 Nebraska, 3-1 vs. Iowa
Up Next: Northwestern, No. 2

No. 11 UCLA Bruins (11-4, 2-2, RV)

Previous Position: No. 12 (+1)
Last Week: 0-3 vs. No. 22 Michigan State, 3-0 vs. Michigan
Up Next: Maryland, Rutgers

No. 12 Michigan Wolverines (10-5, 1-3)

Previous Position: No. 15 (+3)
Last Week: 3-1 vs. USC (RV), 0-3 vs. UCLA (RV)
Up Next: Iowa, No. 13 Oregon

No. 13 Ohio State Buckeyes (9-5, 2-2)

Previous Position: No. 13 (No Change)
Last Week: 0-3 vs. Rutgers, 3-1 vs. Northwestern
Up Next: No. 20 Washington, No. 21 Minnesota

No. 14 USC Trojans (7-7, 1-3, RV)

Previous Position: No. 11 (-3)
Last Week: 1-3 vs. Michigan, 2-3 vs. No. 22 Michigan State
Up Next: No. 16 Purdue, No. 15 Indiana

No. 15 Maryland Terrapins (10-3, 0-2)

Previous Position: No. 17 (+2)
Last Week: 3-2 vs. Iowa, 0-3 vs. No. 1 Nebraska
Up Next: UCLA (RV), Northwestern

No. 16 Rutgers Scarlet Knights (9-5, 0-2)

Previous Position: No. 16 (No Change)
Last Week: 3-0 vs. Ohio State, 1-3 vs. Indiana
Up Next: No. 21 Minnesota, UCLA (RV)

No. 17 Iowa Hawkeyes (12-6, 1-3)

Previous Position: No. 14 (-3)
Last Week: 2-3 vs Maryland, 1-3 vs. Penn State
Up Next: Michigan, No. 22 Michigan State

No. 18 Northwestern Wildcats (7-9, 0-4)

Previous Position: 18 (No Change)
Last Week: 0-3 vs. No. 21 Minnesota, 0-3 vs. Ohio State
Up Next: No. 18 Penn State, Maryland

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