Who plays who: Big Ten announces 2024 opponent volleyball schedule

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  

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