Big Ten volleyball tournament on the way in 2026

Apr. 16—ROSEMONT — The Big Ten is one of the top, if not the top, conference in women's college volleyball every year.

This year will feature a new twist, too.

More matches against fellow Big Ten schools.

The league announced on Thursday it will host its first Big Ten volleyball tournament during the 2026 season, with the top 15 teams in the 18-team league moving on to play in the tournament that will run from Nov. 20-25 at the Fishers Event Center in Fishers, Ind.

In conjunction with the move, the league will decrease the number of regular-season Big Ten matches from 20 to 17, meaning every team in the Big Ten will play each other once.

Three first-round matches will take place before four second-round matches, four quarterfinal matches and two semifinal matches happen. The championship match is set for Nov. 25, with an off day built into the tournament schedule at some point.

Fishers Events Center opened in 2024 and has a capacity of 7,500. The venue is the home arena of the Indy Ignite franchise in Major League Volleyball.

"For the first time in its history, the Big Ten will determine its volleyball champion with a postseason tournament featuring the best volleyball teams in the country," Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti said in a statement. "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."

Illinois coach Chris Tamas said in a statement he is "thrilled," about the addition of a Big Ten tournament. The Illini finished 13-16 last season, missing the NCAA tournament for the second time in the last three seasons, and went 8-12 in the Big Ten. That was tied for 10th in the league standings.

"After years of watching our athletes pour everything into the regular season, having our own conference championship event feels like the perfect way to crown a true Big Ten champion on the court," said Tamas, who is entering his 10th season in charge of the Illini. "This also adds balance to a rigorous conference schedule. This is exciting for our program, our players, the entire conference and the sport of volleyball."