It’s officially October, and we have a lot of good volleyball coming up. Here are five things to look forward to this month.
1. First and foremost, we have more new in-conference battles that you should be pumped for. One that you need to circle on your calendars: Stanford vs. Pittsburgh on Oct. 20, now an ACC matchup and one we do not normally see.
Texas, in the SEC for the first time this season, will play Florida and Kentucky on the road on Oct. 6 and Oct. 13, respectively. Those two programs typically lead the conference, and Kentucky has won or tied with Florida for the past seven SEC titles. The Longhorns will look to challenge that in their first year in the conference.
2. We will have the krikya18.committee unveil a top 16 ranking on Oct. 20 during the Stanford vs. Pitt matchup. For those who don’t know, the committee that decides the NCAA tournament seeding will release this ranking to give teams and fans an idea of how they are viewing the teams and rankings ahead of the tournament. It gives us a glimpse into what they value the most. There will only be one committee ranking this year before the start of the tournament, so mark this on your calendars.
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3. Purdue will be looking to set a Big Ten attendance record in Mackey Arena against Wisconsin on Oct. 26. We continue the trend of breaking attendance records in women's volleyball, and this could be another one.
Purdue and Wisconsin have faced off once before in Mackey in 2008, where its 10,570 fans remain the second-largest crowd to witness a Big Ten regular-season match in league history.
But this could be an opportunity to eclipse the current 19-year-old attendance record for a regular-season match between two Big Ten opponents, which stands at 10,927 between then ranked-No. 23 Illinois at No. 2 Minnesota in 2004.
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4. Pitt and Nebraska emerged as the two top teams in the country this year, and now we will see if they can keep the dominance going through October in conference play. Pitt has yet to drop a single set with 33 straight sets won. And Nebraska swept the last two top-5 teams it played in Louisville and Stanford. These two teams are powerhouses — it's going to be fun watching their seasons unfold.
5. Lastly, watch out for how the National Player of the Year race unfolds and how star players fare in conference play. We entered the season with two players in mind, Sarah Franklin and Madi Skinner. But the race is wide open.
How will Melanie Parra do in the Big 12 — she currently leads the entire NCAA in kills per set and points per set.
Will Skinner heat up soon to her typical postseason form? And how about the likes of Jess Mruzik and Olivia Babcock. The race really is wide open, and it's going to be fun watching it progress.
