Last week was a great one in college volleyball. We'd all probably agree on that. Well — get ready for another one. We've got so many great games coming up, it was difficult to narrow it down. I broke down three of the top matchups you will NOT want to miss this week in the world of college volleyball, and then listed out every ranked matchup so you can have it all in one place.
Here are the top games to watch this week:
No. 9 Purdue at No. 4 Louisville | Friday, Sept. 9 at 7 p.m. ET on ACCNX
I sure am excited for this one. Purdue and Louisville will face off in Louisville this Friday, and we could be in for a great one. I am ready to see what this Purdue team is made of. Coming into the season, I had the Boilermakers outside of the preseason Power 10 due to the large chunk of talent they lost from the prior season. We all knew they would be coming into 2022 with a completely different look and names we weren't used to talking about. They were a total unknown. They are now 6-0 on the year, and have some really impressive new players stepping up, but we have yet to see them against a ranked opponent. Utah was likely their toughest opponent yet, and they beat them in five sets. Eva Hudson has emerged as a huge contributor as just a freshman this season, and Raven Colvin has stepped into the limelight. I threw them into my Power 10 for the past two weeks, and now I am itching to see them against a team like Louisville.
The Cards, as you might now, were the No. 3 ranked team in the nation before they lost to Ohio State this past weekend. They will be fresh off of that loss and looking for some big-time redemption. This team, on the other hand, has much more returners and veterans on the roster than Purdue. But either way, we will see a great Big Ten team and great ACC team face off. It should make for a great one.
No. 11 Stanford at No. 3 Minnesota | Saturday, Sept. 10 at 8 p.m. ET on BTN+
Next up I have Stanford taking on Minnesota this Saturday. This is another one I am really pumped to watch, and for many reasons. The first one is this — they have played similar opponents. Stanford has just one loss on the season to top-ranked Texas, but they did take down Florida in five sets. Hence its new and improved No. 11 ranking. Minnesota ALSO played Texas and Florida. They had a more competitive matchup against the Longhorns and had a really hard-fought battle to take down Florida. They are somewhat similar outcomes, so I am excited to see them face off. Minnesota is definitely the favorite here, and I do have them ranked as the No. 3 team in the nation right now, so it will be a tall task for Stanford. But, I expect a great match, and you really can never guess the outcome.
The Gophers have been looking really balanced and have displayed a lot of depth off of the bench in their recent matches. Stanford is led by Kendall Kipp and Caitie Baird. As you know, the Cardinal have the most national championships in history, and are typically one of the top teams every. single. year. They are fighting to get back to that status, and after last week, they are just one ranking away from being back into that top 10 mix in the AVCA poll. So here you go, Stanford. A chance to take down a top-10 team. The Cardinal will also face Penn State this weekend, and then the tough stretch continues with Nebraska and Louisville next week. So watch out for Stanford as they embark on this difficult stretch of games with a lot to prove.
No. 8 Ohio State at No. 5 Georgia Tech | Sunday, Sept. 11 at 1 p.m. ET on ACCNX
Alright here is my third matchup of the week you won't want to miss. Georgia Tech will host Ohio State at the Georgia Tech Classic this weekend. I am excited for this one for a similar reason as the last match. I want to see what these teams are made of. Georgia Tech is one of those teams that is undefeated, but I want to see them against top tier competition. Julia Bergmann is posting record-setting numbers week after week and carrying a ginormous load for her team. She has been able to get it done against all of their opponents so far this season, but it will be much more difficult against steeper competition. Ohio State, on the other hand, had high praise heading into this season, but with perhaps the toughest non-conference schedule of anyone. They are playing the toughest teams in the country day in and day out, and started out the season 0-3 before finally getting a huge win over then-No. 3 Louisville. Georgia Tech will be another chance for them to prove they can take down ranked teams.
Here is the full schedule of ranked games this week:
Wednesday, Sept. 7:
- No. 2 Nebraska vs. No. 17 Creighton at 6 p.m. ET on FS1
Thursday, Sept. 8:
- No. 10 BYU vs. No. 5 Georgia Tech at 7 p.m. ET on ACCNX
Friday, Sept. 9:
- No. 24 Pepperdine vs. No. 13 Washington at 2 p.m. ET on Pac-12 Insider
- No. 11 Stanford vs. No. 20 Penn State at 5:30 p.m. ET on BTN
- No. 6 Wisconsin vs. No. 14 Kentucky at 6 p.m. ET on ESPNU
- No. 9 Purdue vs. No. 4 Louisville at 7 p.m. ET on ACCNX
- No. 10 BYU vs. No. 8 Ohio State at 7 p.m. ET
- No. 18 Oregon vs. No. 3 Minnesota at 8:30 p.m. on BTN
Saturday, Sept. 10:
- No. 18 Oregon vs No. 20 Penn State at 5:30 p.m. ET
- No. 11 Stanford vs No. 3 Minnesota at 8 p.m. ET on BTN+
Sunday, Sept. 11
- No. 8 Ohio State vs No. 5 Georgia Tech at 1 p.m. ET on ACCNX
