Volleyball Report: Big Ten teams on the NCAA Tourney bubble

By Mike Wolf, BTN volleyball announcer, 3 years ago

The days of the regular season are dwindling in Big Ten volleyball and it is time to take a look at the NCAA tournament hopes of the nation’s premiere volleyball conference. One team that is a certainty for this year’s postseason is the Minnesota Golden Gophers. After missing out on the tournament for the first time since 1998 last season, Minnesota is poised to win its first conference title since 2002. Hugh McCutcheon’s team avenged its only conference loss last weekend with a straight set sweep of then No. 1 Penn State in overwhelming fashion. It was Minnesota’s first win

Volleyball Report: Time to get ready for tonight's Extravaganza

By Mike Wolf, BTN volleyball announcer, 3 years ago

Tonight, we break new ground on the Big Ten Network with the first ever B1G Volleyball Extravaganza. All 14 teams will be playing on one night in seven matches over the course of three hours of whip-around coverage on our air. [ MORE: View the latest Big Ten standings | Check out the latest AVCA poll ] Every team has something at stake, and the matches tonight could impact the postseason hopes of several Big Ten members. Before the Extravaganza begins, here is a preview of all seven matches you can watch on BTN, beginning at 7 p.m. ET and

Volleyball Report: Making sense of the Big Ten title race

By Mike Wolf, BTN volleyball announcer, 3 years ago

November in Big Ten volleyball means the title race has taken shape and the NCAA tournament push is well underway. Contenders have emerged and the early season surprises have faded into memory as the 10-week conference season pushes onward.

Volleyball Report: Very little has gone as planned in the Big Ten

By Mike Wolf, BTN volleyball announcer, 3 years ago

We have reached the midway point of the 2015 season and very little has gone as planned. Look back at the preseason poll released in August and it is nothing like the current standings through ten matches of conference play. The nation’s toughest volleyball conference has always been unpredictable, but now a scrambled Big Ten title race features none of the preseason top four in the No. 1 spot. That position is held by a team that did not even reach the postseason a year ago — Hugh McCutcheon’s 10-1 Golden Gophers. A season after dropping out of the Top

Volleyball Report: No clear early favorite for the Big Ten title

By Mike Wolf, BTN volleyball announcer, 3 years ago

BTN volleyball announcer Mike Wolf is back with his weekly Big Ten Volleyball Report on BTN.com this season. It was a wild opening week of conference play so let's take a quick look back before we preview three big matches coming up.