Week 10 marks the turning point for some conferences which feature modified double round-robin formats. It also marks the countdown to the postseason, with the antee upped as only five weeks remain before the 2017 NCAA Tournament field is announced.
With the postseason in mind, Top 50 RPI wins and wins over ranked teams come into play. The week 10 slate brings 53 matches, with eight featuring two teams ranked in the VolleyMob Top 25 Power Rankings and seven other head-to-head battles in which both teams are ranked or receiving votes.
Four key matchups are set for Wednesday night in the ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12. At 7 p.m., No. 12 Wisconsin meets No. 1 Penn State in Happy Valley, while vote-getters Louisville and Notre Dame tangle in South Bend. At 9 p.m., No. 3 Minnesota will look to defend its home court against vote-getter Illinois, which sits just one match behind the Gophers in the standings. A 10 p.m. contest between No. 11 Utah and No. 16 Oregon, both jockeying for position in the topsy-turvy Pac-12, wraps up the night.
Another ACC donnybrook awaits on Friday with league leader Pittsburgh (9-1) facing third place Louisville (8-2) on the road. More Big Ten drama is likely to unfold at 8 p.m. as No. 7 Nebraska, which is tied for the top spot at 9-1, visits No. 10 Michigan State (third at 8-2).
No. 13 USC takes its third place standing to Seattle to try to finish off a season sweep of No. 15 Washington, while No. 25 Colorado takes its game to Eugene, Oregon, to face the No. 16 Ducks with a season sweep in its sights. Second place Utah faces red-hot Oregon State, which brings a four-match win string into the meeting.
In West Coast Conference action, No. 22 San Diego visits No. 8 BYU. The Cougars took the first meeting in four sets in San Diego on Sept. 30.
A battle between No. 9 Kansas and No. 23 Iowa State, which rank second and fourth in the Big 12, highlights Saturday’s slate. No. 1 Penn State takes on vote-getter Illinois, while No. 25 Colorado meetings Oregon State.
Sunday brings another Top 20 tangle in the Pac-12 as No. 17 UCLA visits No. 15 Washington, where the Huskies hope to finish a season sweep. In the ACC, Pittsburgh will continue its quest to stay atop the league with a stop in South Bend to face the Irish.
Week 10 Slate
| Date | Time | Visitor | Home |
| Oct. 23 | 7 p.m. | James Madison | College of Charleston |
| Oct. 24 | 9 p.m. | Wyoming | #21 Colorado State |
| 10 p.m. | #20 Cal Poly | UC Irvine | |
| Oct. 25 | 7 p.m. | #19 Baylor | Texas Tech |
| 7 p.m. | Louisville (RV) | Notre Dame (RV) | |
| 7 p.m. | #12 Wisconsin | #1 Penn State | |
| 7:30 p.m. | Oklahoma | #9 Kansas | |
| 9 p.m. | #23 Iowa State | Kansas State | |
| 9 p.m. | Illinois (RV) | #3 Minnesota | |
| 10 p.m. | #11 Utah | #16 Oregon | |
| Oct. 26 | 9 p.m. | Air Force | #21 Colorado State |
| Oct. 27 | 5 p.m. | Marquette (RV) | St. John’s |
| 7 p.m. | #14 Creighton | Providence | |
| 7 p.m. | South Carolina | #4 Florida | |
| 7 p.m. | #24 Wichita State | UCF | |
| 7 p.m. | Purdue (RV) | Ohio State | |
| 7 p.m. | Marshall | Western Kentucky (RV) | |
| 7 p.m. | Pittsburgh (RV) | Louisville (RV) | |
| 7 p.m. | N.C. State (RV) | Miami (Fla.) | |
| 8 p.m. | #6 Kentucky | LSU | |
| 8 p.m. | #7 Nebraska | #10 Michigan State | |
| 8 p.m. | #18 Northern Iowa | Illinois State | |
| 8 p.m. | Missouri State (RV) | Evansville | |
| 9 p.m. | #13 USC | #15 Washington | |
| 9 p.m. | #11 Utah | Oregon State (RV) | |
| 9 p.m. | #22 San Diego | #8 BYU | |
| 10 p.m. | Hawaii | #20 Cal Poly | |
| 10 p.m. | #25 Colorado | #16 Oregon | |
| 11 p.m. | #2 Stanford | Arizona State | |
| 11 p.m. | #17 UCLA | Washington State | |
| Oct. 28 | 3 p.m. | #19 Baylor | Oklahoma |
| 5 p.m. | #14 Creighton | Providence | |
| 6:30 p.m. | Iowa | #10 Michigan State | |
| 7 p.m. | #3 Minnesota | Rutgers | |
| 7 p.m. | #1 Penn State | Illinois (RV) | |
| 7 p.m. | Missouri State (RV) | Indiana State | |
| 7 p.m. | Marquette (RV) | Seton Hall | |
| 8 p.m. | West Virginia | #5 Texas | |
| 8 p.m. | Northwestern | #12 Wisconsin | |
| 8:30 p.m. | #9 Kansas | #23 Iowa State | |
| 9 p.m. | #25 Colorado | Oregon State (RV) | |
| Oct. 29 | Noon | #24 Wichita State | USF |
| 1 p.m. | #4 Florida | Mississippi State | |
| 1 p.m. | #7 Nebraska | Michigan | |
| 1 p.m. | #18 Northern Iowa | Bradley | |
| 1 p.m. | Purdue (RV) | Maryland | |
| 1 p.m. | UAB | Western Kentucky (RV) | |
| 1 p.m. | Pittsburgh (RV) | Notre Dame (RV) | |
| 1 p.m. | N.C. State (RV) | Florida State | |
| 2 p.m. | #17 UCLA | #15 Washington | |
| 2:30 p.m. | #6 Kentucky | Texas A&M | |
| 4 p.m. | #2 Stanford | Arizona | |
| 4 p.m. | #13 USC | Washington State |
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