Big Ten announces 2026 conference volleyball tournament
The Big Ten Conference will host a volleyball tournament for the first time in history in 2026.
The first Big Ten volleyball tournament will be at the Fishers Event Center in Fishers, Ind., which is outside of Indianapolis. Round one begins on Friday, Nov. 20, 2026, with the championship on Wednesday, Nov. 25. 15 of the 18 Big Ten teams will qualify for the tournament.
“I’m fired up for it,” Nebraska head coach Dani Busboom Kelly said. “I feel like it’s gonna add some depth to our season. It’s a new challenge. It’s something we saw the SEC do, and I think it benefited them. Besides losing a home game, I think there are very few negatives.”
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The Big Ten schedule will move to 17 matches rather than 20. Each conference team played each opponent at least once and three opponents twice since the addition of four more teams. Each team will play all of the other Big Ten opponents once, with the addition of the tournament.
The Big Ten Tournament’s television information will be shared in the coming weeks.
Conference tournaments prepare for NCAA Tournament
The greatest concern amongst conference coaches was how the Big Ten tournament would impact the NCAA Tournament.
The SEC brought back its conference tournament in 2025 and didn’t face any glaring issues in the postseason. In fact, two SEC teams advanced to the Final Four. Kentucky won the 2025 SEC Tournament and later advanced to the national title match.
“I feel like the SEC coaches just like the feel of playing for something,” Busboom Kelly said. “Playing when you lose, you’re done, I think that helps prepare them for the NCAA tournament.”
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The Big Ten tournament will end on Nov. 25, which means the conference teams will have over a week to rest before the NCAA tournament begins.
Husker volleyball to play Texas outside of Nebraska in 2026
“You could have three matches back-to-back-to-back, that’ll be a challenge. But being done the day before Thanksgiving certainly has its advantages.”
Busboom Kelly said at Louisville, she had a couple of seasons where her team was done over a week before the NCAA tournament began. She said her team played well in those years after having a break.
“It’s more of a mental rest, even than physical,” Busboom Kelly said. “It really does feel like it starts a new season. When you have nine days, it’s like, ‘OK, we’re done with that season. This is all new.’ So it’s just mentally, you get a different headspace vs. playing a game on Saturday night, Selection Sunday, and Monday, you’re getting ready to prep for a Thursday game. That’s pretty fast turnaround.”
