All 14 Big Ten volleyball teams continue conference play this week with 10 matches set to air on either BTN or BTN Plus.
• After an impressive week on the court, Ohio State’s Taylor Sandbothe, the reigning Big Ten Player of the Week, was named AVCA/Sports Impact National Player of the Week.
• For the first time this season, Minnesota is the top-ranked team in the latest AVCA Volleyball Coaches Poll. Eight other Big Ten programs appear in the top 25: No. 2 Wisconsin, No. 3 Nebraska, No. 14 Ohio State, No. 15 Penn State, No. 17 Purdue, No. 21 Michigan State, No. 23 Michigan and No. 24 Illinois.
• Eleven Big Ten volleyball teams are ranked in the top 60 of the NCAA RPI: No. 1 Wisconsin, No. 2 Minnesota, No. 4 Nebraska, No. 7 Purdue, No. 12 Michigan, No. 19 Michigan State, No. 30 Penn State, No. 31 Ohio State, No. 40 Indiana, No. 54 Illinois and No. 59 Iowa.
• Based on average attendance, the Big Ten has six of the nation’s top 10 teams. Nebraska leads the nation in attendance, averaging 8,219 fans per contest, while Wisconsin is third with 5,907 and Minnesota is fourth with 4,092. Penn State checks in at No. 5 with 3,531 patrons per match while Purdue ranks seventh with 2,689 and Michigan State is 11th with 2,474 fans per contest.
• Nebraska has posted a .315 hitting percentage this season, which ranks second in the nation. Penn State ranks fifth, hitting at a clip of .309, while Minnesota is sixth with a hitting percentage of .308.
• Penn State has limited its opponents to the lowest hitting percentage in the nation, only allowing opposing teams to hit at a clip of just .100. Wisconsin is ninth, allowing an opponents’ hitting percentage of .144.
• Minnesota’s Samantha Seliger-Swenson ranks second nationally with 11.91 assists per set while Iowa’s Loxley Keala is ninth with 11.59 assists per frame.
• Illinois’ Ali Bastianelli leads the nation with 1.86 blocks per set while Maryland’s Ashlyn MacGregor is third with 1.73 blocks per set. Wisconsin’s Tionna Williams is eighth, averaging 1.60 blocks per set.
• Based on past opponents’ winning percentage, Purdue has played the second-toughest schedule in the nation, while Wisconsin has played the third-toughest schedule. Minnesota is fifth on the list and Nebraska checks in at No. 6.
Courtesy of The Big 10
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