There are just two more weeks in the NCAA volleyball season, but things are about to get serious. This is the most critical time for the top teams jockeying for the best tournament position.
Here are the biggest matchups in week 13:
1. No. 1 Texas vs No. 3 Baylor | 8 p.m. ET Wednesday, Nov. 20, on ESPN+
We've got a rematch. This is the biggest test for the Texas, the No. 1 team in the country, the rest of the regular season. The Longhorns took down Baylor in three straight sets the last time these two teams met. Brionne Butler had a team high 12 kills and seven blocks and it didn't seem like anyone could beat the Longhorns in that match.
For Baylor, Yossiana Pressley was their star, as she usually is. But she didn’t have much help. She finished with 18 kills but had 11 attacking errors as a result of Texas' strong front line. No other Bears player put up more than four kills in the loss. Recently though, some other Bears have stepped up. In their latest win, Gia Milana and Shelly Stafford tallied double-digit kills. They will be vital in the Texas rematch. Also, this time, it will be on Baylor's home court.
ALL-TIME LINEUPS: TEXAS DREAM TEAM
2. No. 6 Nebraska vs No. 7 Minnesota | 9 p.m ET Friday, Nov. 22, on BTN
Nebraska has a tough slate this week with two top-10 matchups in the Big Ten. This is the first matchup between Nebraska and Minnesota this season. Minnesota is coming off of a loss to Wisconsin last week. It was a close one though, and the Gophers never lost a set by more than two points. They displayed a balanced offense in that showing. Adanna Rollins led the Gophers with 16 kills. She also had 14 digs and four blocks. Airi Miyabe had 12 kills, Alexis Hart had 12 kills and Regan Pittman had 11 kills, hitting .647. Those are some good numbers for a loss. Nebraska, on the other hand, survived an upset bid by Iowa, defeating the Hawkeyes 3-2 in their latest matchup. Madi Kubik led with 19 kills and 16 digs. Jazz Sweet tied her career high with 18 kills and hit .417.
3. No. 2 Nebraska vs No. 5 Wisconsin | 2:30 p.m ET on Sunday, Nov. 24, on BTN
Another one. Again, this is a tough week for Nebraska. Even if they take down Minnesota, they will have another top-10 matchup on their hands. Wisconsin just took down Minnesota in four sets last week in an impressive win. That win secured the season sweep over the Gophers, which was the first time they've accomplished that since 2014. Molly Haggerty had season-high 24 kills over Minnesota. Dana Rettke followed with 21 kills and Grace Loberg had 19.
This will be the second time the Badgers and Huskers go head to head this season. The first time, the Badgers took down the Huskers in what was the start of their crazy hot streak. And, they beat the Huskers at home. In fact, they swept them. What was so interesting about it was that the Huskers still played well in the sweep. It was the first time they lost in John Cook's tenure at Nebraska when hitting .300 or better in a match. So it will be intriguing to see who comes out on top this time around, and these two big Nebraska matchups will decide a lot in the Big Ten.
No. 12 Creighton vs No. 9 Marquette | 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Nov. 22, on Big East Digital Network
This is another big rematch this week. These rivals will battle it out for first place in the Big East ahead of the conference tournament next week. They are both sitting at 15-1 in the conference. Creighton came out with the victory in five sets the first time they matched up. Keeley Davis led Creighton with a career-high 31 kills. Marquette was led by 23 kills from Allie Barber. The Golden Eagles finished with 66 kills, five aces, 82 digs and 11 blocks on .217 hitting.
