3 Teams Poised to Push Nebraska Volleyball in the Big Ten

Nebraska is picked to with the Big Ten for a fourth straight season. Is there a team that can dethrone the Huskers in 2026?

Nebraska Cornhuskers setter Bergen Reilly (2) hoists the 2025 Big Ten Volleyball Champions trophy to her teammates. / IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Big Ten Conference released its 2026 preseason poll Thursday, and for the third straight year, Nebraska took the No. 1 spot.

The Cornhuskers, behind second-year head coach Dani Busboom Kelley, were unanimously voted to repeat as league champions and are seeking their fourth straight Big Ten title, a feat last accomplished by Wisconsin (2019-2022).

For the past three seasons, Nebraska volleyball has started the season as the favorite to win the Big Ten. Led by their core group of senior All-Americans in middle blocker Andi Jackson, outside hitter Harper Murray, and setter Bergen Reilly, Nebraska returns 78 percent of its roster from last year’s dominant team. 

Notable losses include All-Big Ten First-Team middle blocker Rebekah Allick and former Big Ten Player of the Year, outside hitter Taylor Landfair. 

For the second year in a row, Nebraska did not lose a single player to the transfer portal. Busboom Kelley also opted not to add any new players from the portal, instead sticking with the 14 remaining players and three incoming freshmen.

Nebraska has been the proverbial Goliath in college volleyball, particularly over the last few years, winning three consecutive conference championships, but has struggled to clear the final hurdle of winning a national championship. 

Last year the Cornhuskers rolled their way through the conference, dropping only one set to a Big Ten opponent. 

It’s hard to argue against Nebraska this year for the top spot in the conference. 

Hard, but not impossible. Here are three teams that may pose a threat in 2026 and one that won’t.

Wisconsin Badgers

Wisconsin setter Charlie Fuerbringer (24) sets against Marquette. / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Selected second in the Big Ten preseason poll, the Badgers (28-5, 17-3 in 2025) are led by junior setter Charlie Fuerbringer and junior middle blocker Jaela August from Florida, both voted onto the preseason All-Big Ten team. 

The return of Fuerbringer’s leadership will be a definite help to the Badgers as they return only 41 percent of their roster from last year’s national semifinal team, with notable losses in outside hitter and National Player of the Year finalist Mimi Colyer and two-time All-American middle blocker Carter Booth. Wisconsin has also brought two transfer players and an astonishing nine freshmen onto its 2026 squad.

A team with so much young talent can make a splash in the Big Ten, as seen by Nebraska’s 2022 team, in which over half the court at any given time consisted of true freshmen. Plus, Sheffield is a high-quality coach who can get the best from his elite incoming players. 

Wisconsin always has a high ceiling and could easily regain its position at the top of the conference. The flip side to that potential is the concerns with putting together, essentially, a brand-new team to compete in the best and toughest conference in volleyball. 

With a non-conference schedule full of NCAA Tournament teams from 2025, including Kentucky, Louisville, Stanford, Pitt, Florida, Texas, and reigning national champions Texas A&M, this young squad will have plenty of opportunities to test itself before heading into conference play.

My prediction: Wisconsin is the most likely team to dethrone Nebraska, but with youth and a steep learning curve, could finish anywhere between first and fourth in the Big Ten.

Purdue Boilermakers

Purdue head coach Dave Shondell signals a play call down court. / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Purdue (27-7, 15-5 in 2025) came in fourth in the Big Ten preseason polls after finishing third in a 2025 season that surprised and surpassed outsiders’ expectations. 

The Boilermakers return 71 percent of their production from last year, including 2026 preseason All-Big Ten and AVCA Player of the Year watchlist candidates right side hitter Grace Heaney, outside hitter Kenna Wollard, and setter Taylor Anderson. 

With outside hitter Akasha Anderson as the most notable loss in production from the previous year, Dave Shondell is poised to lead Purdue to another successful season.

Consistency is the main storyline with Purdue volleyball. 

After losing major pieces of the team a few years ago in outside hitters Eva Hudson and Chloe Chicoine and middle blockers Lourdes Myers and Lizzie Carr, the remaining players had no option but to rally and make up for the lost production. Keeping that core squad of Heaney, Wollard, Anderson, and rising star libero Ryan McAleer together for another year will only benefit the Boilermakers as they face a grueling non-conference schedule that includes the reigning national champions, Texas A&M, among others. 

Shondell has consistently shown faith in the team and after last year, maybe others should show more faith in them too.

My prediction: Consistency is key but may not be enough to take down the other consistent giant. Purdue could finish anywhere between second and fourth in the Big Ten.

Minnesota Golden Gophers

Minnesota Gophers mascot Goldy waves fans prior to the game. / USA TODAY Sports

Rounding out the top five in the Big Ten preseason poll is the Minnesota Golden Gophers (24-10, 12-8 in 2025) under fourth-year head coach Keegan Cook. 

Minnesota was devastated by injuries last year but was still able to finish sixth in the Big Ten and made an NCAA tournament run. Minnesota falls somewhere between Wisconsin and Purdue in terms of roster retention, which puts them at an interesting spot.

Middle blocker Calissa Minatee and outside hitters Mckenna Wucherer and Alex Acevedo are returning from injury and preseason All-Big Ten team right side hitter Carly Gilk have all played together long enough to give the team and fans an idea of what they are capable of accomplishing. 

However, coming back after season-ending injuries brings its own set of concerns both physically and mentally for the individuals and the squad. The Gophers’ schedule does them few favors, as they open the season against Texas and then face six 2025 NCAA tournament teams over their next seven matches.

My prediction: Minnesota will surprise some fans with their bounce back from last year and belong in the top tier of Big Ten volleyball this year. Like Purdue, it may not be able to fully topple Nebraska for the No. 1 spot but still have a high ceiling.

Why the Penn State Nittany Lions are not a Contender

Penn State head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley talks to her players during a timeout. / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Time for the elephant in the room. 

Penn State (19-13, 12-8 in 2025) came in third in the preseason poll, but I did not list them as a team that will push for the No. 1 spot in the conference. 

After a disappointing 2025 season, Katie Schumacher-Cawley took to the transfer portal, bringing in outside hitter Whitney Launstein from Texas, middle blocker Ryla Jones from Pitt, and reuniting setter Alexis Stucky with her former Florida teammate and unanimous preseason All-Big Ten team selection, right side hitter Kennedy Martin.

Voters clearly believe these additions will help the returning players achieve the high standards of Penn State volleyball.

Losing All-American setter Izzy Stark last year was obviously impactful to the team. Stucky will help diversify the offense and Schumacher-Cawley has shown that she can build her team into a championship contender. But the issues from last year run deeper than one position. It’s unclear if those problems have fully been solved.

My prediction: Penn State will be a top-half Big Ten team and could be a top-five team based on talent alone. But if they don’t fix their passing problems, they could find themselves in a similar position as last year within the conference.