The first ever Big Ten volleyball tournament will take place in the 2026 season, announced by the conference today.
The tournament will feature the top 15 of 18 teams in the regular-season standings. It will take place from Nov. 20-25, 2026, at Fishers Event Center in Fishers, Indiana.
The tournament provides MSU volleyball with a chance to earn an automatic bid at the NCAA Tournament, which the team fell short of last season, finishing 18-12 overall, 8-12 in the Big Ten. The Spartans posted a program-best 10-0 start in the 2025 season under first-year head coach Kristen Kelsay.
The tournament is single elimination, with seeds 10-15 competing in the first round, seeds five through nine earning a single bye and seeds one through four advancing immediately to the quarterfinals. The tournament will feature one off day.
The Big Ten regular-season schedule will decrease from 20 to 17 matches as a result, allowing each team to face off once a season. MSU and Michigan are not expected to compete twice in a season anymore, ending the State Pride series that began in 1990.
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