Big Ten Announces 2024 Volleyball Conference Slate

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Big Ten Conference revealed the 2024 volleyball schedule on Wednesday afternoon. 

League play for Illinois will once again include 20 matches, with the Fighting Illini playing three teams both home and away and the remaining 14 teams once (seven at home and seven on the road). As announced by the league earlier in the year, the opponent rotation achieves the following: All 42 matchups that did not occur at a certain site in 2023 happen at that site in 2024, institutions in EST and CST each have a single away/away road trip to PST and geography and competitive balance for two-plays were considered to the extent possible.

Here is the breakdown of Illinois' opponents for the 2024 Big Ten schedule:
Home & Away – Indiana, Nebraska, Northwestern
Home Only – Maryland, Minnesota, Ohio State, Rutgers, UCLA, USC, Wisconsin
Away Only – Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Oregon, Penn State, Purdue, Washington

The Fighting Illini begin league play in the Pacific Northwest as the squad travels to welcome Oregon (Sept. 27) and Washington (Sept. 28) to the conference with a pair of road matches.

The first Big Ten match at Huff Hall features the 2024 national runner-up, Nebraska, on Oct. 3. The Orange and Blue remain at home for a battle against Northwestern on Oct. 6.

Illinois then travels to Michigan (Oct. 11) and Michigan State (Oct. 12) before returning home to face Indiana (Oct. 16) and Maryland (Oct. 20). A rematch with the Cornhuskers follows on Oct. 25 before the team heads to Iowa for a contest on Oct. 27. 

The Illini begin November with a Friday clash at Northwestern before hosting 2024 national semifinalist Wisconsin on Nov. 3. The battle against the Badgers begins a three-match homestand as the Orange and Blue welcome USC (Nov. 8) and Ohio State (Nov. 9) to Huff Hall.

Conference play continues for the Fighting Illini at Penn State on Nov. 15, and the team remains on the road with a match at Purdue on Nov. 17.

Another three-match homestand begins on Nov. 22, when the Illini host Rutgers. UCLA visits town the following day on Nov. 23, and the Fighting Illini's final home match features Minnesota on Nov. 27. The team's final match of Big Ten play takes place at Indiana on Nov. 29.

The 2024 campaign marks the eighth season under the direction of head coach Chris Tamas, who owns an overall record of 131-81 at the helm for the Fighting Illini.