Big Ten Weekly Volleyball Central – Dec. 3-9

Big Ten Weekly Release – Dec. 3

• Seven Big Ten teams were among this week’s AVCA/TARAFLEX Top 25, announced on Monday: #1 Nebraska, #10 Wisconsin, #12 Purdue, #14 USC, #15 Indiana, #17 Minnesota and #25 Penn State. Michigan and UCLA are receiving votes in this week’s poll. 
• In this week’s NCAA Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) rankings, five Big Ten schools are in the top 15, six in the top 25 and nine in the top 50 of the NCAA RPI report through games of Nov. 30. RPI rankings through games of Nov. 30: Nebraska 1; Wisconsin 11; Purdue 12; USC 13; Minnesota 14; Indiana 18; Penn State 32; UCLA 35 and Michigan 45. 
• The Big Ten Conference will have nine schools participating in the 2025 NCAA Division I Volleyball Tournament, the NCAA announced during Sunday evening’s selection show. Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA, USC and Wisconsin will represent the Big Ten in this year’s tournament, and the Huskers received the No. 1 overall seed after completing the regular season with the best record in Division I (30-0). The Big Ten’s nine postseason teams are second across all conferences, behind only the Big 12, which had 10 teams advance to the tournament.   
• At least one Big Ten program has reached the NCAA national semifinals (Final Four) in all but one year since 2007, with at least one member institution advancing to the NCAA national championship match 13 times in that 17-year span. Current Big Ten schools have won a total of 13 national championships (11 while members of the conference). Penn State is the reigning National Champion with the Big Ten winning six of the past 12 National Championships (Penn State 3; Nebraska 2; Wisconsin 1).
• Six of the 14 2025 AVCA Division I Player of the Year semifinalists hail from the Big Ten. The list includes Nebraska’s Andi Jackson, Harper Murray and Bergen Reilly, Penn State’s Kennedy Martin, Purdue’s Kenna Wollard and Wisconsin’s Mimi Colyer. The finalists will be revealed on Dec. 15, and the Player of the Year will be announced in Kansas City at the AVCA Awards Banquet on Friday, Dec. 19. 
• The Big Ten Conference announced the 2025 Volleyball All-Big Ten Teams and individual honors on Tuesday, chosen by a vote of the conference’s 18 head coaches and an additional media vote for Coach of the Year. Nebraska junior setter Bergen Reilly was selected as Player and Setter of the Year, while Husker head coach Dani Busboom Kelly was recognized as the Big Ten Coach of the Year by both the coaches and media. Penn State’s Gillian Grimes was named Libero of the Year and Oregon’s Alanah Clemente was chosen as Freshman of the Year
• Reilly becomes the first Nebraska player to be named Player and Setter of the Year and first since Minnesota’s Samantha Seliger-Swenson earned both honors in 2018. It’s only the third time in conference history that a player has swept both awards, with the other instance coming in 2014 from Wisconsin’s Lauren Carlini. With this year’s recognition, Reilly becomes a three-time Big Ten Setter of the Year and joins Wisconsin’s Sydney Hilley (2019–21) as just the second setter to win the award in three straight seasons.
• The All-Big Ten First Team had nine unanimous selections, including, Michigan’s Allison Jacobs, Minnesota’s Julia Hanson, Nebraska’s Andi Jackson, Harper Murray and Bergen Reilly, Penn State’s Kennedy Martin, Purdue’s Kenna Wollard, USC’s London Wijay and Wisconsin’s Mimi Colyer.