Volleyball On SI

Why Volleyball’s Preseason Schedule Is Unlike Any Other College Sport

As football fans discuss the need to play more P4 teams in non-conference, volleyball fans celebrate how many ranked opponents their teams play.

Abbie Harris

Wisconsin Badgers outside hitter Mimi Colyer (15) hits the ball during the second set against the Kentucky Wildcats
Wisconsin Badgers outside hitter Mimi Colyer (15) hits the ball during the second set against the Kentucky Wildcats / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The college volleyball is just days away and fans across the country can already look ahead at their team's schedule to better gauge how difficult the non-conference schedule will be.

Volleyball is unique in how it schedules for this season, with several of the top teams in the ACVA Preseason Top 25 highlighting a significant difference between volleyball, football, and men’s basketball when it comes to scheduling.

“I could never imagine a basketball or football team scheduling like Wisconsin volleyball,” one Purdue fan tweeted. “In the non-con, they’ll play #'s. 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, and 17 with only 3 unranked opponents. They’ll then face #'s. 1, 9, 10, 14, 16, 20, and 25 in conference play. Insane schedule, playing literally everyone in the preseason top 10."

Wisconsin volleyball is not alone in putting together such a difficult non-conference schedule.

A quick look at the top 10 teams’ non-conference schedules reveals that nearly all the teams have a ranked opponent for at least 50 percent of their games. The only exceptions, No. 1 Nebraska at 46 percent, No. 9 Purdue at 44 percent, and No. 10 Penn State at 42 percent. However, they still play a higher percentage of ranked teams than any top 10 football team in 2026 and nine of the top 10 men’s basketball programs from 2025. The lone exception was No. 4 UConn (men's basketball), which played a ranked opponent in 45 percent of its non-conference schedule.

When asked about the difficult schedule at Big Ten Media Days, Wisconsin Volleyball head coach Kelly Sheffield was clear in his intention.

“This is not only the toughest schedule we’ve ever had. I can’t imagine there’s been anybody that’s put together – not put together but maybe just said, yes – as many times as we did with who we’re playing.”

Preseason No. 2 Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott has a similarly difficult schedule.

Of Texas’ eight non-conference games, seven are against ranked opponents, including No. 1 Nebraska in the Player’s Era Showcase in T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

Craig Skinner, head coach of No. 3 Kentucky, put together a non-conference schedule that only includes three or four unranked teams. Kentucky will participate in the Paradise Invitational in the Bahamas and may play No. 9 Purdue or unranked Houston in the championship or third-place match.

Once conference play starts, both Texas and Kentucky will play four more pre-season ranked teams.

Why do Volleyball Programs Play so Many Ranked Opponents?

The Nebraska Cornhuskers huddle before the game at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports
The Nebraska Cornhuskers huddle before the game at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports / USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect

This year is no exception to a difficult non-conference schedule. In fact, volleyball has often been lauded as a sport where teams are willing to take on ranked opponents, even when they face a gauntlet of a conference schedule. Part of this is due to an increase in pre-season tournaments that feature top-ranked teams.

The growth in pre-season tournaments can, at least indirectly, be tied back to Nebraska’s Volleyball Day in 2023, in which Nebraska took on the Omaha Mavericks in front of a world-record 92,003 fans in Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium. An additional 1.659 million viewers watched the broadcast, making it, at the time, the most-watched college volleyball match ever.

Action during the Louisville versus Wisconsin volleyball match at the AVCA First Serve Showcase
Action during the Louisville versus Wisconsin volleyball match at the AVCA First Serve Showcase / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

In 2024, the AVCA First Serve Showcase relaunched after a 10-year hiatus, featuring four of the nation’s top collegiate volleyball programs. In 2025, the showcase expanded to 10 teams across two locations (including Vanderbilt’s first match in 45 years).

Three new pre-season tournaments launched in 2026 to provide teams and fans more opportunities to play high-profile opponents early in the season.

The Players Era Volleyball Showcase debuts in Las Vegas and will feature a matchup between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams.

The Paradise Invitational at Baha Mar in the Bahamas will host teams from each of the Power Four conferences.

Finally, the inaugural Spikes Under the Lights will be a historic one-night primetime women’s college volleyball showcase featuring four powerhouse programs competing for a record $1 million prize.

Fans looking for high-profile, high-stakes non-conference games need to look no further than their own school’s volleyball programs this fall.

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Abbie Harris
ABBIE HARRIS

Abbie Harris has been talking about women's sports to anyone who would listen, and sometimes to those who wouldn't, for as long as she can remember. She has been the host of a weekly Nebraska women's sports podcast for over a year, primarily covering volleyball, women's basketball, and softball. Harris holds three degrees, including a Ph.D. from Saint Louis.

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