Nebraska and Wisconsin headline 2026 Big Ten Volleyball Preseason Poll

Despite having a ton of new cooks in the kitchen, the Wisconsin Badgers volleyball program is projected to finish in the top two.

As of Thursday, July 30, the conference officially released the 2026 Big Ten Volleyball Preseason Poll.

Officially, Wisconsin was ranked No. 2, only behind Nebraska. Knowing the Badgers have a pair of transfers and nine freshmen, it'll be extremely interesting to see if Kelly Sheffield and this squad can live up to the hype.

It's important to note that Nebraska was the "unanimous favorite" to repeat as Big Ten Champions, but remember, 2026 is set to feature the first-ever conference volleyball tournament.

The inaugural 15-team conference tournament will take place at the Fishers Event Center in Fishers, Indiana, from

November 20-25.

Only three teams won't make the cut, so it's noteworthy to see Ohio State, Rutgers, and Maryland on the early chopping block.

The start of a new season.

📝 | https://t.co/ocQVQtJtwK pic.twitter.com/s21NULbxac

— Wisconsin Volleyball (@BadgerVB) July 30, 2026

2026 Big Ten Volleyball Preseason Poll

1. Nebraska
2. Wisconsin
3. Penn State
4. Purdue
5. Minnesota
6. Indiana
7. USC
8. Oregon
9. UCLA
10. Illinois
11. Michigan
12. Michigan State
13. Washington
14. Northwestern
15. Iowa
16. Ohio State
17. Rutgers
18. Maryland

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Jordon Lawrenz on X @jordonlaw_pxp.

This article originally appeared on Badgers Wire: Nebraska and Wisconsin headline 2026 Big Ten Volleyball Preseason Poll