It's hard to know which NCAA volleyball matches to watch on any given night. With unexpected upsets popping up regularly -- from Washington State taking down three-and-counting top-10 opponents to Penn State defeating No. 1 Minnesota -- any match could be the week's best.
To help you make your viewing choices easier, we've put together a list of seven matches we think are likely to be this week's highlights.
Michigan State was the first team this year to push Nebraska to five sets. Then last week, Ohio State earned the title of first team to hand the Huskers a loss. On Friday, the Spartans and the Buckeyes will face off in East Lansing, Michigan. Outside hitter Autumn Bailey leads the MSU squad with 164 kills so far this year, while senior middle Taylor Sandbothe is OSU's top producer with 220. A win for Michigan State would further complicate the Big Ten and national rankings, which of course would delight the Spartans.
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Oregon currently owns the longest win streak in the Pac-12, having secured 11 victories since suffering two straight losses to Texas and Florida to open the year. Washington, on the other, might still be reeling from its loss to Washington State, but the Huskies have had a nice eight-day break since their last match and should at least be well-rested.
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Colorado has greatly benefitted from the addition of Purdue transfer Alexa Smith. The sophomore outside hitter puts away an average of 3.25 kills per set, helping her team secure victories over Penn State, Illinois, Arizona, and UCLA. Stanford defeated Washington last week, but then lost to on-fire Washington State. Smith will have to tangle with the big block of Stanford, but as we've seen plenty of time this year already, rankings don't mean much in the dog-eat-dog world of conference competition. Stanford will also be playing without star outside Hayley Hodson, whom Stanford announced is taking a medical leave of absence from the university and will not play for the remainder of the season.
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Pittsburgh is undefeated in ACC play, and Duke is not far behind with a 3-1 conference record. Every victory counts for these teams, which frequently find themselves in the middle of the conference standings come tournament time.
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In another big ACC matchup, Florida State and North Carolina, which are both currently 4-0 in conference play, will meet in Chapel Hill, NC. These two teams each have big wins over nationally ranked foes, and a victory in this match could be the determining factor when it comes to naming a conference champion at the end of the regular season.
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Purdue had a rough draw to kick off the Big Ten season, taking on Wisconsin and Minnesota. After playing Iowa on Friday, the Boilermakers will once again be facing one of the top teams in the country when they take on Nebraska. The Huskers lost for the first time this season in a match against Ohio State on October 1. The Nebraska players won't want to let another match get away from them, but Purdue has already proved it is capable of big-time upsets.
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The fifth-ranked Cougars have been the surprise success story of the season. Having already taken down conference juggernauts UCLA, Washington, and Stanford, Washington State now sets its crosshairs on Oregon. Depending on what happens in the Washington/Oregon and Washington State/Oregon State matches on Friday, these two could be the only teams still undefeated in conference play.
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To help you make your viewing choices easier, we've put together a list of seven matches we think are likely to be this week's highlights.
No. 6 Ohio State at Michigan State
Friday, October 7, 2016 | 7 PM ET | WatchMichigan State was the first team this year to push Nebraska to five sets. Then last week, Ohio State earned the title of first team to hand the Huskers a loss. On Friday, the Spartans and the Buckeyes will face off in East Lansing, Michigan. Outside hitter Autumn Bailey leads the MSU squad with 164 kills so far this year, while senior middle Taylor Sandbothe is OSU's top producer with 220. A win for Michigan State would further complicate the Big Ten and national rankings, which of course would delight the Spartans.
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No. 8 Washington at No. 17 Oregon
Friday, October 7, 2016 | 8 PM PT | WatchOregon currently owns the longest win streak in the Pac-12, having secured 11 victories since suffering two straight losses to Texas and Florida to open the year. Washington, on the other, might still be reeling from its loss to Washington State, but the Huskies have had a nice eight-day break since their last match and should at least be well-rested.
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No. 20 Colorado at No. 7 Stanford
Friday, October 7, 2016 | 6 PM PT | WatchColorado has greatly benefitted from the addition of Purdue transfer Alexa Smith. The sophomore outside hitter puts away an average of 3.25 kills per set, helping her team secure victories over Penn State, Illinois, Arizona, and UCLA. Stanford defeated Washington last week, but then lost to on-fire Washington State. Smith will have to tangle with the big block of Stanford, but as we've seen plenty of time this year already, rankings don't mean much in the dog-eat-dog world of conference competition. Stanford will also be playing without star outside Hayley Hodson, whom Stanford announced is taking a medical leave of absence from the university and will not play for the remainder of the season.
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Pittsburgh at Duke
Friday, October 7, 2016 | 6:30 PM ET | WatchPittsburgh is undefeated in ACC play, and Duke is not far behind with a 3-1 conference record. Every victory counts for these teams, which frequently find themselves in the middle of the conference standings come tournament time.
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No. 18 Florida State at No. 14 North Carolina
Friday, October 7, 2016 | 6 PM ET | WatchIn another big ACC matchup, Florida State and North Carolina, which are both currently 4-0 in conference play, will meet in Chapel Hill, NC. These two teams each have big wins over nationally ranked foes, and a victory in this match could be the determining factor when it comes to naming a conference champion at the end of the regular season.
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No. 11 Purdue at No. 3 Nebraska
Sunday, October 9, 2016 | 2 PM CT | WatchPurdue had a rough draw to kick off the Big Ten season, taking on Wisconsin and Minnesota. After playing Iowa on Friday, the Boilermakers will once again be facing one of the top teams in the country when they take on Nebraska. The Huskers lost for the first time this season in a match against Ohio State on October 1. The Nebraska players won't want to let another match get away from them, but Purdue has already proved it is capable of big-time upsets.
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No. 5 Washington State at No. 17 Oregon
Sunday, October 9, 2016 | 1 PM PT | WatchThe fifth-ranked Cougars have been the surprise success story of the season. Having already taken down conference juggernauts UCLA, Washington, and Stanford, Washington State now sets its crosshairs on Oregon. Depending on what happens in the Washington/Oregon and Washington State/Oregon State matches on Friday, these two could be the only teams still undefeated in conference play.
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