Big Ten to hold first-ever volleyball tournament in 2026

Wisconsin women's volleyball’s Big Ten schedule will look a little different starting in 2026.

The Big Ten will hold a conference volleyball tournament at the end of the regular season, it announced April 16.

The tournament will include the top 15 teams in the 18-team conference. The 2026 tournament will take place at the 7,500-seat Fishers Event Center in Fishers, Indiana – a northeast suburb of Indianapolis.

The first round will be Nov. 20, and the championship will be Nov. 25. The conference did not release the bracket format for the 15-team field.

“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 news release.

Conferences that already hold postseason volleyball tournaments include the SEC and Big East.

Wisconsin Badgers outside hitter Grace Egan (32) and libero/defensive specialist Kristen Simon (7) prepare to hit a bump during the first set of the match against the Marquette Golden Eagles on Wednesday September 17, 2025 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

With the Big Ten tournament in place, each team will play 17 regular-season matches in a single-round-robin format. That’s down from 20 in past years, as UW played each team at least once and three teams twice.

Matches already announced on the ’ 2026 schedule include the against Kentucky on Aug. 21 and Louisville on Aug. 22 at Fiserv Forum and the against Florida on Sept. 2 and Auburn on Sept. 3 at the UW Field House.