Who plays who: Big Ten announces 2024 opponent volleyball schedule
Illinois and setter Brooke Mosher have home B1G matches in 2024 against Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Penn State, UCLA, USC and Wisconsin/Craig Pessman photo
After waiting until June for the last couple of years to announce conference volleyball schedules, the Big Ten dropped a February surprise on Thursday afternoon by unveiling every team’s opponents for the 2024 season.
The expanded 18-team B1G will continue to play each conference member once each season during the 20-week campaign, but with four new West Coast teams joining the league this summer, a new format was needed. Programs will now play three teams in a home-and-home with seven home single-plays and seven road single-plays.
The Big Ten said in a release that the double plays were based on competitive balance, geography and rivalries.
The highlight of the home-and-home series is that defending Big Ten-champion Nebraska will continue to double up against Wisconsin, which won the league title from 2019–22. The rivalry has provided some of the biggest television audiences the college sport’s history.
The four old Pac-12 members will all play each other twice and each returning Big Ten team will make one trip west to play either Washington and Oregon or UCLA and USC.
The West Coast travel partners will play the same league schedule. UCLA and USC will make the long trip across the country to play Maryland and Rutgers, while the latter two schools travel to play Washington and Oregon. The Pacific Northwest schools will play at the Michigan schools, Ohio State, and Penn State.
The new schedule will also include some reunions.
Minnesota coach Keegan Cook will return to the Pacific Northwest, where he was the head coach at Washington from 2015-22. New USC outside hitter Ally Batenhorst will also have a homecoming when she faces off against her former Nebraska teammates in Lincoln.
Taylor Landfair will welcome her former Minnesota teammates to the Devaney Center after transferring to Nebraska, which travels to visit former Huskers Maggie Mendelson and Caroline Jurevicious at Penn State.
Only a few double-play matchups don’t fit into tidy geographic proximity and rivalries, including Minnesota vs. Ohio State, Maryland vs. Michigan State, Purdue vs. Rutgers, and Iowa vs. Rutgers.
Dates, times and television coverage will be announced at a later date.
Illinois
Home: Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio State, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, Wisconsin
Away: Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Washington
Home/Away: Indiana, Nebraska, Northwestern
Indiana
Home: Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Penn State, UCLA, USC, Wisconsin
Away: Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, Rutgers, Washington
Home/Away: Illinois, Ohio State, Purdue
Iowa
Home: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Oregon, Purdue, Washington
Away: Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State, UCLA, USC, Wisconsin
Home/Away: Nebraska, Northwestern, Rutgers
Maryland
Home: Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, UCLA, USC
Away: Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Ohio State, Washington, Wisconsin
Home/Away: Michigan State, Penn State, Rutgers
Michigan
Home: Illinois, Maryland, Northwestern, Oregon, Rutgers, Washington, Wisconsin
Away: Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA, USC
Home/Away: Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State
Michigan State
Home: Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon, Ohio State, Washington
Away: Indiana, Iowa, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, Wisconsin
Home/Away: Maryland, Michigan, Penn State
Minnesota
Home: Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Northwestern, Oregon, Purdue, Washington
Away: Illinois, Michigan State, Nebraska, Penn State, Rutgers, UCLA, USC
Home/Away: Michigan, Ohio State, Wisconsin
Nebraska
Home: Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, USC
Away: Maryland, Michigan State, Northwestern, Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State, Washington
Home/Away: Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin
Northwestern
Home: Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, USC
Away: Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Michigan State, Oregon, Washington
Home/Away: Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin
Ohio State
Home: Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, Oregon, Penn State, Rutgers, Washington
Away: Illinois, Michigan State, Northwestern, Purdue, UCLA, USC, Wisconsin
Home/Away: Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota
Oregon
Home: Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers
Away: Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin
Home/Away: UCLA, USC, Washington
Penn State
Home: Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Oregon, Washington
Away: Indiana, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, Wisconsin
Home/Away: Maryland, Michigan State, Purdue
Purdue
Home: Illinois, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, UCLA, USC, Wisconsin
Away: Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon, Washington
Home/Away: Indiana, Penn State, Rutgers
Rutgers
Home: Indiana, Minnesota, Michigan State, Penn State, UCLA, USC, Wisconsin
Away: Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon, Ohio State, Washington
Home/Away: Iowa, Maryland, Purdue
UCLA
Home: Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin
Away: Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers
Home/Away: USC, Washington, Oregon
USC
Home: Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin
Away: Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers
Home/Away: UCLA, Washington, Oregon
Washington
Home: Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, Rutgers
Away: Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin
Home/Away: UCLA, USC, Oregon
Wisconsin
Home: Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Oregon, Ohio State, Penn State, Washington
Away: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Purdue, Rutgers, UCLA, USC
Home/Away: Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern
The post Who plays who: Big Ten announces 2024 opponent volleyball schedule appeared first on Volleyballmag.com.
Read More Volleyballmag.com NCAA Women