Illinois Volleyball Ranked #24 in Oct. 5 AVCA Coaches Poll
October 5, 2026 | Volleyball
NEWS
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini volleyball team checked in at No. 24 in the Oct. 5 AVCA Coaches Poll, the program's first appearance in the rankings since 2022.
Illinois, now 11-4 overall and 3-1 in Big Ten play, is coming off a road sweep at #22 Washington on Friday and a narrow, hard-fought four-set loss at #17 Oregon on Sunday.
One of 10 conference teams represented in this week's AVCA poll, the Orange and Blue started Big Ten play with three consecutive ranked victories. Illinois first defeated #15 Minnesota at Huff Hall on Sept. 24 before sweeping #23 USC two days later on Sept. 26. The Illini's road win over the Huskies marked the team's third ranked victory in eight days.
During their nonconference slate, the Illini defeated power conference opponents from the ACC and SEC.
Illinois continues its Big Ten schedule on Thursday night at Huff Hall against #7 Wisconsin for the team's annual Stuff Huff match. First serve between the Fighting Illini and the Badgers is set for 7:30 p.m. CT on Big Ten Network. Tickets are still available at FightingIllini.com.
