WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL
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Big Ten CommunicationsPublished: 9/4/2024, Last updated: 9/4/2024
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Big Ten Weekly Volleyball Central - Sept. 4-8

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AVCA Top 25 Poll | Big Ten Weekly Release

  • The Big Ten has eight teams among this week’s top 25. UCLA broke into the rankings, claiming the No. 25 spot with Nebraska at 2, Wisconsin 6, Penn State 7, Purdue 8, Oregon 12, Minnesota 18 and USC 20.  Ohio State, Indiana and Washington are all receiving votes in this week’s poll.
  • A Big Ten team was featured in five of the top 10 attended events in week one. The State Farm Showcase at Fiserv Forum attracted 14,035 fans while the AVCA Showcase brought 9,280 to the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky. Nebraska vs. Texas-A&M Corpus Christi drew 8,956 while Nebraska vs. TCU had 8,695 in attendance. Penn State at Tennessee drew 6,193 fans to Knoxville, Tenn. 
  • ESPN’s coverage of last week’s AVCA Showcase match between #2 Nebraska and #9 Kentucky drew 344,000 viewers, making it the second most-watched live regular-season volleyball match to air on any ESPN platform. 
  • #18 Minnesota topped two-time defending National Champion and No. 1 ranked Texas in five sets at the State Farm Volleyball Showcase at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wis., on Monday. It was the Gophers’ first win over the Longhorns since 2017 and their first over a No. 1 ranked opponent since Sept. 14, 2019 against then-No. 1 Stanford. Melani Shaffmaster surpassed 4,000 career assists, just the 8th Gopher in program history to reach the milestone. 
  • Purdue’s Eva Hudson was named the AVCA National Player of the Week on Tuesday. She’s the sixth Boilermaker to receive the honor and first since Grace Cleveland did in 2021. Hudson produced a Big Ten-leading 46 kills and 50.5 points behind a .352 hitting percentage, helping Purdue to a 3-0 start in the opening week. Hudson was also named Big Ten Player of the Week and the Stacey Clark Classic Most Valuable Player. 
  • Oregon’s Colby Neal posted a career-high 13 kills vs. Long Beach State on Sunday, helping the Ducks to a 3-0 sweep and their first win of 2024. Neal’s .929 hitting percentage (13-0-14) established a new program single-match record for Oregon.
  • After receiving votes in the preseason top-25 polls, UCLA made a statement in its season-opener, taking down No. 14 Georgia Tech in five sets on Friday night. The Bruins went on to sweep Coastal Carolina capping a perfect opening weekend at the GT Invitational. UCLA will face another ranked opponent on Thursday at No. 17 Tennessee on the SEC Network.
  • A top 10 matchup inside Rec Hall resulted in a 3-0 sweep for No. 7 Penn State over No. 4 Louisville on Tuesday night. The Nittany Lions held the Cardinals to a .091 hitting percentage, while Penn State put down 45 kills with a .358%. Jess Mruzik paced the efficient Nittany Lion attack with 13 kills, while Caroline Jurevicius added 11.  Penn State has a second top-10 matchup on its schedule this week, visiting No. 9 Kentucky on Friday for a 7 p.m. ET first serve on the SEC Network. 
  • Additional notable TV matches this week include No. 20 USC at No. 11 Creighton on Thursday at 7 p.m. ET on FS1, RV Indiana at #1 Texas on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET on SEC Network, #18 Minnesota at #23 Baylor on Friday at 8 p.m. ET, #6 Wisconsin at #23 Baylor on Sunday at 8 p.m. ET and RV Ohio State at #10 Florida on Sunday at 4 p.m. ET on ESPN2.