Every day at VolleyMob we will preview several of the most notable and interesting matches in NCAA Division I Women’s Volleyball. We will offer an inside look at some of those top matchups each day as we carry along through the 2017 season.
After two days of mostly mid-majors appearing in action, week six ramps up with another Wednesday slate full of conference meetings and ranked teams. In fact, eight teams either ranked or on the cusp in the latest VolleyMob Power Rankings Top 25 continue their season on the day that is highlighted by two ranked Big 12 meetings.
*Note: VolleyMob Power Rankings Top 25 is utilized for a team’s ranking
*The entire week’s schedule can be seen here.
THE BIG MATCH:
#20 Iowa State (10-1) at #9 Kansas (12-2) – 7:30 pm ET (ESPN3/KU Radio/Live Stats)
Two of the top teams in the Big 12 meet in Lawrence for a match between teams undefeated in conference play and ranked in the top 20 overall.
The defending Big 12 champion Kansas Jayhawks actually clinched the conference title last year in a home match against Iowa State. They led 2-0 but an Iowa State run forced a fifth set where the Jayhawks came out on top. Speaking of squeaking out a five-setter, that’s what they did last match on the road against Kansas State in their Big 12 opener as Ainise Havili totaled 55 assists, 10 digs and eight kills.
Iowa State is also 1-0 in conference play after taking down Oklahoma in four sets. Samara West was on her ‘A’ game with 18 kills while hitting .371. She will need to continue that strong play as the Cyclones look to pull an upset and show that they have a stake in the Big 12 title race as well.
OTHER NOTABLE MATCHES:
#21 Baylor (12-3) at #5 Texas (9-2) – 8 pm ET (Fox Sports Networks/Live Stats)
In another Big 12 match that features two of the top teams, Baylor is the school looking to prove they belong in the Big 12 title race. The Bears could really insert themselves into the conversation after a 2-0 start while Texas will look for a more decisive win than their five-set survival at West Virginia last week.
Indiana (11-3) at #19 Purdue (11-2) – 7 pm ET (BTN2Go/Purdue Radio/IU Radio/Game Tracker)
This is actually the first of two meetings for the week between these two rivals in the state of Indiana. The first comes in West Lafayette as the Boilermakers try to rebound from a conference loss last week to Ohio State. Purdue did sweep Northwestern prior to that, so are 1-1 in Big Ten play while Indiana fell twice to Illinois and Maryland.
#24 Florida State (8-2) at Louisville (7-5) – 7 pm ET (ACC Network Extra)
The hosting Cardinals were well tested in the non-conference, so won’t be stunned by a top 25 team coming to town. They did lose at North Carolina last week, but also picked up a home win against (RV) Notre Dame. Florida State started 2-0 in ACC play and look to be the class of the conference as they look to avoid tripping up on the road.
BEST OF THE REST:
(RV) Marquette (9-5) at Xavier (6-9) – 6 pm ET (Xavier Video/Live Stats)
West Virginia (12-3) at Texas Tech (11-3) – 7 pm ET (Fox Sports SW Plus/Live Stats)
Arkansas (11-3) at Alabama (11-4) – 8 pm ET (SEC Network/Live Stats)
Ole Miss (10-5) at Mississippi State (9-8) – 9 pm ET (ESPN3/Live Stats)
Arizona State (10-4) at #3 Stanford (9-2) – 10 pm ET (Pac-12 Networks/Live Stats)
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