The Big Ten Conference announced on Apr. 16 the launch of its first-ever postseason volleyball tournament, set to begin in November 2026 at the Fishers Event Center in Fishers, Indiana.
Commissioner Tony Petitti said, “For the first time in its history, the Big Ten Conference will determine its volleyball champion with a postseason tournament featuring the best volleyball teams in the country. We look forward to bringing the nation’s top talent together for an entire week of exhilarating competition culminating in the crowning of the inaugural Big Ten Volleyball Tournament Champion.”
The new format will see three matches played during opening round action on Friday, Nov. 20, followed by four second-round matches. The tournament will then move through quarterfinals and semifinals before concluding with a championship match scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 25. There will be one off day built into this schedule.
Fifteen teams from across the conference will qualify for this postseason event. With this change, each team’s regular season schedule will be reduced from 20 matches to 17 and shift to a single round-robin format. Details about specific opponent rotations are expected to be released later.
The Big Ten has led Division I attendance rankings every year since 2007 and continues to draw some of collegiate volleyball’s largest crowds.
The upcoming season is also notable as it includes both media events and new challenges: The Fifth Annual Big Ten Volleyball Media Day is scheduled for August 3 in Chicago, while September brings the inaugural Big Ten/SEC Volleyball Challenge Week ending with a doubleheader at Wrigley Field on Sunday, September 6.
Iowa’s program looks ahead with optimism after winning fifteen matches last season—their highest total since 2016—and welcomes four newcomers under head coach Jim Barnes.
