Big Ten introduces women's volleyball conference tournament for 2026

The Big Ten women's volleyball automatic qualifier will be decided in a new way this fall.

As first reported by Big Ten Network's Emily Ehman, the Big Ten is unveiling a women's volleyball conference tournament to be played from Nov. 20-25 at Fishers Event Center in Fishers, Indiana. The tournament will feature the top 15 teams from the 18-team conference's regular-season standings and will offer the winner an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.

“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,” Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti said in a statement.

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Based on the announced schedule, the tournament appears to operate similarly to the women's basketball tourney, offering double byes to the top four seeds in the conference and byes to seeds 5-9. The number of regular-season conference games will also drop from 20 to 17 per team, with each team playing each Big Ten team once per season.

The Big Ten is one of the most dominant conferences in women's college volleyball, with representatives in six of the last 10 NCAA title games. Penn State is the most recent Big Ten team to win a national championship, going 35-2 under coach Katie Schumacher-Calway in 2024.

"I am truly proud to be part of a conference that continues to push boundaries, set new standards and lead with innovation and purpose," Schumacher-Calway said in a release. "The introduction of the first Big Ten Volleyball Tournament marks a significant milestone, and it is a testament to the vision and growth of this league. Most importantly, it provides our student-athletes with an even greater platform – putting them center stage and showcasing their talent, dedication and passion at the highest level."

Since USC won the first NCAA Division I women's volleyball national championship in 1981, Big Ten teams have won 22 national titles (though UCLA's four titles and USC's three titles all came when neither school was a part of the Big Ten). Penn State is the most successful long-time member of the conference with 18 Big Ten titles and eight national titles, followed by Nebraska, with six conference titles and five national titles.