With the conclusion of the first half of the Big Ten volleyball season upon us, separation amongst the contenders is clear. The two teams that were anticipated to be above the rest have shown it with No. 1 Penn State and No. 4 Nebraska holding the top two spots in the standings through eight matches.

A lot of action around the Big Ten on Friday starting with an afternoon field hockey game. Aisling Naughton knocked in a chip-shot redirection just 3:58 into sudden-victory overtime as Michigan field hockey beat Michigan State, 3-2. Watch the highlights now and dive inside for more video from around the conference.

Michigan’s women’s volleyball team wins in straight sets with the upset victory over Illinois, 3-0, in Ann Arbor on Wednesday night. Watch highlights of the Michigan and Illinois match-up now and jump inside for the Ohio State and Bowling Green men’s soccer game video coverage.

A week ago I asked, where are the upsets in Big Ten volleyball? For a conference with parity from top to bottom it had been an almost as expected start to 2012. Week 3 put that thought to shambles, as one shocking upset and several near misses gave Big Ten volleyball fans the most baffling weekend of the season thus far.

No. 4 Penn State (12-2-0, 6-0-0) used three goals in a six-minute span to secure a 5-2 victory over Indiana on Sunday at Jeffrey Field. With the game tied at two, freshman Mallory Weber scored two goals in two minutes to put the Nittany Lions ahead for good. Read the full recap at GoPSUSports.com. Watch our interview with Kristin Hartmann, who announced her retirement, now, and jump inside for more of Sunday’s Olympic video coverage.